A flight ban on all Robinson R44 helicopters with a specific type of rotor blade has been lifted.
A Robinson R44 helicopter Photo: 123RF
The Civil Aviation Authority grounded all of the aircraft fitted with the rotor blade on Saturday after last week's crash near Queenstown, in which a trainee pilot and his instructor were killed.
It said it had strong suspicions that that crash - like the sudden landing of another helicopter in January - might have been caused by the dash-seven blade product.
But Civil Aviation director Graeme Harris said it turned out they were different.
Test results completed today had ruled out the blade being the cause of last Thursday's Queenstown crash.
The Civil Aviation Authority says all operators of a Robinson R44 helicopter with a specific type of rotor blade must inspect the blade for cracks before each flight.
It has lifted a flight ban on all of the aircraft fitted with a dash 7 blade, imposed after last Thursday's crash near Queenstown, in which a trainee pilot and his instructor were killed.
Civil Aviation's Steve Moore said test results completed today have ruled out a link between the recent crash and an incident in January.
He said if an operator discovered any damage whatsoever to the rotor blade before take-off - whether that be paint cracking or a hairline fracture - then it should not be used.
The Transport Accident Investigation Commission's investigation into what caused the Queenstown crash is continuing.
Chief executive of Rotor and Wing Maintenance John Hobday said he knew of 15 Robinson R44 helicopters that had been affected by the ban across the North Island.
He said agricultural operators had been most concerned, as it was an important time to be spraying crops.
