William Bruce Andrews had two great loves. The first was his two young children. Aviation was the second.
Mr Andrews was killed in December 2013 when the helicopter he was flying crashed in the Glade Burn Valley.
His family, including his brothers Robert and Doug, have spent almost four years and about $60,000 searching for answers.
They, along with their mother Joan, sat through every minute of the first four days of his inquest in Queenstown last week.
The Civil Aviation Authority determined the father of two’s death to have been caused by spatial disorientation leading to a controlled flight into terrain.
But his family do not agree.
"They changed the wording [in the final report] ... from ‘probable’ to ‘likely’," Robert Andrews said.
"We’re not sure if it’s probable, most likely or didn’t happen.
"It could be mechanical, weather, medical or a combination of all three."
While they are frustrated the wait for answers continues, they are heartened coroner Brigitte Windley is taking her time.
They would prefer the finding to be undetermined cause rather than one they believe is wrong.
Robert Andrews said his brother avoided risks.
"He hardly drank. He never raced his car up and down gravel roads like some of his brothers might have.‘‘He loved his flying and his kids - they were the most important thing in his life, above everything else.
"He would do anything for those kids."
Doug Andrews does not want his brother’s descendants to one day look into his death, read online articles and think "he’s flown into cloud - he must have been a cowboy".
"He definitely wasn’t a cowboy."
Robert Andrews agreed with a statement Sir Richard Hayes made during the inquest — that pilots often become more cautious with experience.
