THE grieving mother of tragic York pilot Lisa Knaggs spoke of her heartache today as she still waits to discover what caused her daughter's death.

Julie Ayre said she had now been waiting more than 11 months for American air investigators to tell her why her daughter's plane crashed.

Lisa, 21, formerly of Strensall, was killed in October, 2005, when her Cessna 172 aircraft came down as she tried to take off during a solo flight from an airfield in Florida.

The flight was part of a full-time training course in the US and she was just days away from receiving her official private pilot's licence.

The US National Transport Safety Board, which is investigating the crash, has yet to release details to the coroner so an inquest can be held.

Julie, 44, who recently married her partner, Michael Ayre, said: "It's horrendous that we've not had any information from America.

"I've got no purpose in life any more and nobody has told us how it happened.

"Planes just don't drop out of the sky."

Julie said she had now sold her fish and chip shop in Leeds because she was unable to cope and has bought a property in Spain.

"We want to know exactly what happened," said Michael.

"While all this is dragging on, it's difficult to move forward."

West Yorkshire coroner's officer, PC Richard Musgrove, said coroner David Hinchliffe was in the process of writing a second letter to the US investigators to find out why the process was taking so long.

"We were told by their aviation examination unit that it would take about six months," he said.

"It's terrible because we've not heard a thing. We're anxious to answer the family's questions.

"My heart goes out to them."

Lisa was a former pupil of Escrick and Huntington schools and used to work at Clarks shoe shop, at Monks Cross, and later as an assistant manager at Clinton Cards, in Coney Street, York.

Julie would like to speak to any other parents who have lost a child in similar circumstances.

She can be contacted via The Press by emailing matthew.woodcock@ycp.co.uk