A broken rotor blade has been blamed in the crash of a Bristow Helicopters’ Sikorsky S76A+ north of Lowestoft, UK, which claimed the lives of all eleven on board. Air accident investigators found no evidence of crew or maintenance staff error.

“The accident was caused by the failure of one of the main rotor blades, which caused a portion of the blade to detach whilst the aircraft was approaching the Santa Fe Monarch. The focus of attention for the investigation is now to ascertain the reason for the blade fracture,” said Keith Chanter, chief executive of Bristow Helicopters.

“This information may take some time to establish, but it will be crucial information required by the aircraft manufacturer, the regulatory bodies and the operators in deciding the most appropriate safety action. The Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) will provide a full and detailed report in due course.”

A decision was made eight days after the crash to step down the underwater search for the last remaining missing person, although a surface sweep continued for a few more days.

“I would like to pay tribute to the remarkable men and women who have been working so tirelessly out in the North Sea as part of this search and recovery operation. As a team, we share a great sense of sadness that we have not found the last missing person.

“However, the team also knows that through its efforts, ten bodies were recovered together with all the critical aircraft wreckage and the flight data recorder,” said Mark Carne, Shell Expro asset director and leader of Shell’s search and recovery team.

All the wreckage from the aircraft was transferred to the AAIB’s premises in Farnborough and analysis of the wreckage and the flight data recorder is now underway.