The family of a “highly skilled and experienced pilot” who died after the helicopter he was flying crashed into the sea have welcomed the verdict of an inquest into his death.

Last week, a jury in Hull came to a conclusion of accidental death for captain Brian Bridgman, originally from Loughton, and his close friend John Kent from Romford.

The pair died after a “catastrophic technical fault” as captain Bridgman, 58, piloted the aircraft along the coast in Flamborough, Yorkshire, on September 16 2014.

After a loss of power, the helicopter hit the surface of the sea at the base of the cliffs, killing the pilot and his passenger.

The inquest found a number of bearings in the engine were damaged, causing the failure.

A joint statement from captain Bridgman’s children Katie, 34, and Timothy, 31, said: “The verdict was the right one and this means the world to us.

“It has been a long battle to get to this point.

“Since this tragic accident, we have known all along what had happened on that day and now the jury have unanimously come to the same conclusion.”

Captain Bridgman was born and raised in Loughton where he ran LWC Engineering, an architectural and structural steel fabrication company, until 2010 when he stepped back to fly full time.

Previously described as a “true Loughton boy at heart” by his daughter, he once worked as a reporter on the Epping Forest Guardian after completing his training.

As a pilot he had over 4,000 flying hours, working as a chief pilot, commercial pilot, flight examiner, flight instructor, night rating course instructor and crew resource management instructor.

Following the inquest at Hull Coroner’s Court, captain Bridgman’s children called on industry improvements to stop similar accidents from happening.

They said: “Whilst it will always be extremely difficult for us to live knowing that Dad and his friend John lost their lives due to a 'catastrophic engine failure', we sincerely hope that the regulators will now focus on improving safety and warning systems within the aviation industry so that other families do not have to go through the quite simply harrowing times which we have experienced.

“Words cannot describe how much we love and miss our father.”