Bike champ's family attack report on 'copter crash

THE family of British superbike champion Steve Hislop, who died in a helicopter crash two years ago, have criticised the official findings into what caused the accident.

A report yesterday said pilot error was probably to blame for the crash on July 30, 2003, at Teviothead in the Borders.

Investigators said the loss of control of Hislop’s Robinson R44 helicopter could have resulted from his "mishandling of the controls" and becoming disorientated.

And the crash was probably caused by the tailboom being snapped off by the main rotor blade.

However, almost two years after the tragedy, the Air Accident Investigation Branch report admitted a malfunction "could not be eliminated".

Hislop’s mother Margaret, from Denholm, near Hawick, Roxburghshire, said she was "very unhappy" with the contents of the report.

She said: "As far as I am concerned the answers are still not there. I do not believe pilot error was to blame. I am disappointed with the way things have been handled."