A HIGH Court judge has ruled that voice and data recordings from a helicopter crash which killed Cumbria's richest man and three other people should remain confidential.

Lord Ballyedmond, also known as Dr Edward Haughey, was killed when the AgustaWestland AW139 came down in a field in heavy fog shortly after take-off from an estate he owned in Gillingham, Norfolk, on March 13, 2014.

Dr Haughey’s foreman, Declan Small, 42, from Northern Ireland; pilot Captain Carl Dickerson, 36, Thornton, Lancashire; and co-pilot Captain Lee Hoyle, 45, from Cheshire, also died.

The Tory peer owned Corby Castle at Great Corby, near Carlisle, and was a prominent figure in the Cumbrian community.

An inquest jury ruled earlier this year that the deaths were accidental.

During the inquest, held in Norfolk, the coroner in the case demanded disclosure of the helicopter's cockpit voice and data recorder.

When the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) refused to comply, they were issued with two £10 fines.

However Mr Justice Singh, during a High Court hearing this week, said that there would be no "public interest" in disclosing the information.

Excerpts of a cockpit recording were read out during the inquest.

In it one of the pilots, who cannot be identified from the recording, is heard saying: “I don’t mind telling you I’m not very happy about lifting out of here.”

AAIB expert Tim Atkinson said that had the helicopter been at a licensed aerodrome, it would not have been allowed to take off in such fog.

Private helipads are not subject to such regulations.

Another AAIB investigator, Peter Wivell, said the pilot may have suffered from an optical illusion caused by the fog.

A lack of visual clues could have caused him to become disorientated and he may have felt like he was pitching up when he was in fact flying level, meaning he over-corrected and steered the nose down.

No mechanical defects were found on the helicopter, he added.