This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-36193738

The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Norway helicopter crash: 'Technical error to blame' Norway helicopter crash: 'Technical error to blame'
(35 minutes later)
A technical error was almost certainly behind the helicopter crash in which 13 people died on Friday, Norway's Accident Investigation Board says.A technical error was almost certainly behind the helicopter crash in which 13 people died on Friday, Norway's Accident Investigation Board says.
"On the basis of the facts we have, this involves a technical fault; it isn't human error," the director of the board's aviation department said."On the basis of the facts we have, this involves a technical fault; it isn't human error," the director of the board's aviation department said.
The Eurocopter (EC) 225L Super Puma crashed in the North Sea after picking up passengers from an oil platform. The Airbus H225 Super Puma crashed in the North Sea after picking up passengers from an oil platform.
It was carrying 11 Norwegians, one Briton and one Italian. Thirteen people died - 11 Norwegians, a Briton and an Italian.
Regulators in the UK and Norway grounded the aircraft pending the investigation. Some of the victims' families have chosen not to identify them publicly. The Briton has been named as Iain Stuart, from Laurencekirk in Aberdeenshire..
On Tuesday, the AIB's Kaare Halvorsen told reporters: "We are as certain as we can be that a technical error caused the accident." Footage of the crash showed the helicopter's rotor detached from the body of the aircraft and spinning through the air.
Airbus H225 Super Puma
Source: Airbus Helicopters
On Tuesday the aviation director of Norway's Accident Investigation Board, Kaare Halvorsen told reporters that they were "as certain as they can be" that a technical problem caused the crash, rather than human error.
Mr Halvorsen confirmed that the crew had no time to send an emergency message before the crash.
He told Norway's VG website that there had been less than one second between the fault appearing and the helicopter's flight recorder coming to a halt. The recorder is thought to have stopped working when the rotor became detached.
But he stressed that the investigation was at an early stage and no conclusions could yet be drawn.
The Super Pumas remain grounded in both Norway and the UK, though their manufacturer, Airbus, said on Monday that it was no longer recommending a blanket ban on their use.