The manufacturer of a helicopter which ditched in the North Sea with 14 people on board has said early investigations suggest the operator was not to blame.
Eurocopter said it had found no human or procedural error by the operator, Bond Offshore Helicopters, following the incident on May 10 about 30 miles off the coast of Aberdeen.
Bond temporarily suspended flights after the Super Puma came down in what was described as a "controlled ditching". All 12 passengers and two crew were rescued.
An initial Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) examination showed the helicopter's gearbox shaft had cracked. It also emerged that the same aircraft had an engine malfunction less than a month before.
Eurocopter said that the ditching had been caused by a rupture of the shaft which was driving two lubrication pumps, causing a drop in oil pressure.
In a statement, the company said: "Following preliminary investigations into the recent controlled ditching of a Eurocopter EC225 Super Puma helicopter in the North Sea on May 10 2012, Eurocopter has given its initial assessment of the incident.
"According to Eurocopter's commitment to safety, constant information and recommendations have been and will continue to be provided to all the relevant operators during the development of the investigation.
"The preliminary findings have shown that the incident was caused by a rupture of the shaft driving the two lubrication pumps, thus explaining the total loss of main gearbox oil pressure.
"At this stage of the investigation, neither procedure failure nor human error by Bond have been identified as a potential contributor to the cause of the incident.
Malcolm Paine, managing director of Bond Offshore Helicopters, said: "We are grateful to receive Eurocopter's statement which supports the preliminary view that the controlled ditching on May 10 was a result of a mechanical failure."
