Mi-17 crash report completed, no details revealed

Mi-17 crash report completed, no details revealed

According to Beta, the commission completed its work on March 18 and will report to the deputy higher prosecutor in Belgrade.

The commission was tasked with establishing the circumstances of the crash which claimed the lives of seven people, and any accountability on the part of the military.

The commission included six Serbian Army members, experts in the areas relevant to establishing the circumstances of the event, from the use of the forces, to craft maintenance and crew training, the agency said.

A Ministry of Defense statement issued late on Wednesday did not provide any details from the report. Instead, the statement said:

"In cases when the investigative procedure is conducted by relevant state investigative authorities, the right to inform the public of the circumstances, causes and responsibility for an extraordinary event in the Ministry of Defense and the Serbian army lies within their jurisdiction."

When reached for comment, spokesperson of the Higher Prosecution in Belgrade Tatjana Sekulic told Beta that she was "out of the country this week" while "all questions would be answered by email tomorrow (Thursday) by a colleague."

B92 earlier on Wednesday received assurances from the MoD and the army that the deadline to publish the results set by General Ljubisa Dikovic would be respected.

A second commission has until March 31 to submit its report and is dealing with technical issues and direct causes, and will examine the flight recorder and the pilot's communication with flight controllers.

The military helicopter was dispatched to transport a sick infant from Novi Pazar in southwestern Serbia to Belgrade. It crashed near the city's civilian airport and killed all seven people on board, including four VS officers and two doctors from Novi Pazar.

Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic late on Tuesday spoke about the accident and revealed some details of the pilot's communication with air traffic control.