A HELICOPTER that crashed killing its pilot and leaving four passengers seriously injured was over its weight limit, an investigation has found.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) probe into the accident at Breighton Aerodrome, near Selby, found the pilot, Nigel Feetham, had been inviting different people for flights during the day of July 17 last year.

He accepted four passengers on board, exceeding the flight manual limitation for maximum weight of 1,361kg by nearly 15kg.

As he turned onto the final approach he flew at an altitude of about 100-ft along the runway at a speed of 55 knots before carrying out a quick stop.

As the helicopter pitched nose-down towards a more level altitude there was an audible “crack” and a “very loud bang”. The main rotor blades struck the tail boom.

The aircraft rotated through 180 degrees to the right as it crashed to the ground.

All four passengers sustained head, back, chest and leg injuries and Mr Feetham, 36, of Hedon, near Hull, who owned the SE-313B Alouette II helicopter, died a week after the crash. He was the managing director of HPS Systems in Hull.

Investigators said there were no technical failures of the former military aircraft, built in 1960 and it was well maintained, serviceable and in good condition prior to the accident,

The aircraft's flight manual states that the aircraft must be handled gently at higher speed when carrying excess weight and shallow approach angles are required.

The accident happened during the World War Two airfield's 1940s weekend that welcomed classic aircraft and vehicles.