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The Commission appointed by the decision of the BiH Deputy Minister of Communications and Transport to investigate the crash of the CITABRIA plane, registration number E7-PDH, which took place on December 31, 2022, at the Urije-Prijedor Airport, completed the investigation and prepared the Accident Final Report that was published at the Ministry's homepage. The entire investigation procedure on the cause of the accident was conducted in line with the international standards and procedures (ICAO) and the valid legislation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The accident occurred during a panoramic flight in the area of the Airport. The flight was performed during the day, according to visual flight rules (VFR) and according to visual conditions (VMC). In the climbing phase after the take-off, at a 40-50 m altitude, the plane suddenly turned sharply to the right from the climbing angle. Following a sharp turn to the right, the plane continued to roll over the right wing, dropped its nose toward the ground, and then went into a steep, almost vertical dive and made a 270° turn before impacting the ground. The plane hit the ground at a steep, almost vertical angle and slightly to the back, casing the killing of the pilot and the passenger, ultimately completely destroying the plane.

Based on the investigation conducted, analysis of collected evidence and available information about the accident, the Commission drew the following conclusion on the main causes of the accident:

Loss of aircraft control at low altitude and its fall into a spin due to the failure of the aircraft's buoyancy force (exceeding the aircraft's critical angle of attack) caused by the pilot's error in maintaining the climb speed and angle during the take-off and climb phases.

The accident was impacted by:

a)        Irregular (non-standard) vertical profile of the take-off phase and the climb phase with large changes in the aircraft angle and speed.

b)        Aircraft speeds for flaps settings (retracted) and aircraft pre-take-off weight were not adjusted.

c)        Exceeded aircraft weight at take-off, i.e. greater aircraft weight at take-off than allowed.

d)        Possible carburettor icing and an attempt to de-ice, which, as a consequence led to a decrease in engine power and speed.

e)        Extremely low height at which the loss of lift occurred, insufficient for a safe exit from the spin.

f)         a relatively large flight interruption.