THE cause of the helicopter crash which killed a former York student and charity worker may not be known for weeks, investigators have announced.

Vita Stott, 28, was killed last week when the Robinson R-44 she was flying crashed in mountains in Queensland, Australia. Three local men were also killed in the accident.

Miss Stott studied biology at the University of York from 1995 to 1998, before spending a year as president of the student charity body, RAG. Her year in charge saw the group raise a record £52,000 for good causes.

After graduating, Miss Stott worked for Save The Children, before following her dream of becoming a helicopter pilot.

She gained her licence last June and was a keen flier until her dream ended in tragedy last week. Alan Stray, the deputy director of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, said today: "The engine has been secured and has been examined in some detail.

"The wreckage has been brought back to Canberra for laboratory analysis."

He said the investigation could take weeks.

Last week, Miss Stott's employer said he believed a midair crisis had forced her to attempt an emergency landing. John Logan, chief pilot at North Australian Helicopters, said the crash site was the most suitable spot in the area to attempt a landing, but the helicopter had hit the ground with more force than it would have in a normal landing.

Meanwhile, the Evening Press has continued to receive tributes from former York students who knew Miss Stott.

Her friend, Gemma Oakley, said: "She lived with an amazing energy and passion for everything and everyone in her life.

"The word unique is not enough to describe what a complete one-off she was. I can't think of many people who have touched so many lives in the way she did with her laughter, her love and her unrelenting dedication for causes she cared about.

"Things I will always love about Vita are her exceptional talent for fancy dress, her ability to make being outrageously late an art form, for the extraordinary amount of laughing we did together and for always going after her dreams, no matter what. God bless you, beautiful girl."

The three other people killed in the crash were surveyor Paul Bielenberg, 53, mining company operations manager Tom Lancaster, 35, and environmental scientist Derek Powell, 38.

Updated: 09:33 Thursday, March 02, 2006