The Norwegian helicopter operator whose aircraft crashed into a mountain in northern Norway on Saturday killing all six people aboard says it has temporarily grounded its 25-strong fleet out of respect for the relatives of the victims and its staff.
Helitrans AS stressed on a Facebook posting Sunday that the decision was “not due to suspected technical failure in the helicopter type” of a brand new Airbus AS350 involved in the accident.
The helicopter crashed with five Norwegian passengers, all in their early twenties, and a Swedish pilot southwest of the Arctic town of Alta. Norwegian authorities are investigating the cause of the accident.
The helicopter was chartered to fly participants in and out of a music festival a few kilometers from the crash site.
