Norway: object hitting rotor likely cause for chopper crash

TALLINN, Estonia – Norwegian authorities say initial investigation indicates that the likely cause for a helicopter accident on Norway’s southwestern coast that left three Britons injured is a loose object from the chopper’s fuel tank that hit a rotor.

Norwegian police said Friday they have no evidence of human or technical failure in connection with the crash that took place Wednesday as a British-registered helicopter attempted to land on the Bacarella luxury yacht but plunged off into the sea in a fjord just off Bergen.

Officials said three British men were taken to a local hospital. Two were released on Thursday but a 57-year-old man remains in critical condition.

British and Norwegian media reports said the helicopter had flown from Shetland to Norway.