Norway police close probe into 2016 fatal crash

COPENHAGEN – Police say a criminal investigation into a 2016 helicopter crash off western Norway that killed all 13 people on board has been closed after a technical probe earlier this year ruled out human error.

The Airbus EC-225 helicopter was carrying workers from an offshore rig in the North Sea when it went down on a tiny island outside Bergen, Norway’s second-largest city. Eleven Norwegians, one Briton and one Italian were killed.

In May, Norway’s Accident Investigation Board concluded that “a fatigue fracture” in the main rotor gearbox caused the crash and excluded maintenance actions by the helicopter operator.

The crash bore similarities to a fatal 2009 accident off Scotland with a similar type of helicopter in which 16 people died.