Charlottesville helicopter crash report now due next year

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – A federal investigation into what caused a Virginia State Police helicopter to crash during a deadly white nationalist rally in Charlottesville still isn’t complete.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports the National Transportation Safety Board estimated the inquiry would last 12 to 18 months after the Aug. 12, 2017 crash . It’s now been 24 months.

Forty-eight-year-old state police Lt. H. Jay Cullen and 40-year-old trooper-pilot Berke M.M. Bates died in the crash. They were on board the helicopter to relay video of the rally to officers on the ground.

The NTSB’s preliminary report said the helicopter began spinning and descended into trees just outside Charlottesville.

NTSB spokesman Peter Knudson says the case has been more complex than other investigations and a final report isn’t expected until next year.

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Information from: Richmond Times-Dispatch, http://www.richmond.com