Investigations into a North Sea helicopter crash which killed 16 people have begun.
Inspectors from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) are trying to establish what caused the Super Puma aircraft to come down off the Aberdeenshire coast in calm and sunny conditions.
The Bond-operated helicopter, with 16 people on board, was flying back from the BP Miller platform yesterday when it crashed.
Police said eight bodies had been recovered but that search operations had been suspended until daylight for the eight others who were on the helicopter.
The search operation involved 15 ships and lifeboats.
Oil company BP said the helicopter was carrying 14 passengers and two crew from its Miller platform about 136 nautical miles (270km) offshore.
Drilling company KCA Deutag said ten of its workers were among the passengers, of whom nine were British and one was from elsewhere in Europe.
A coastguard spokeswoman said flying conditions were excellent when the helicopter went down, around 13 nautical miles off the coast of Scotland.
‘There is nothing to suggest the weather would have had any impact at all on the actual incident,’ she said.
It was the second Super Puma helicopter crash in the North Sea in six weeks.
In February all 18 people on board a Super Puma travelling to a BP oil rig were rescued after the helicopter crashed into the sea after hitting a fog bank.
Both helicopters were operated by Bond Offshore Helicopters, which runs a fleet of twin-engine Super Pumas to supply sea-based oil rigs.
