Flight control fault suspected in Sea King crash
An interim report into last month's Sea King helicopter crash has found problems with the flight controls may have been responsible for the disaster.
A team of 13 investigators has spent the last month combing through the wreckage from the crash on the island of Nias in Indonesia.
Nine Australians die and two were injured while they were delivering earthquake aid.
The Navy's Maritime Commander, Rear Admiral Rowan Moffitt, has released initial details of the investigation revealing some evidence of mechanical problems in the flight controls of Sea King Shark-02.
"The team inspected the mechanical flight control run from the cockpit through to the tail rotor gearbox," he told a news conference.
"Two components of the flight control run which are normally connected were found to be detached from one another.
"Several parts of the hardware that normally connect those two items together haven't been located."
Rear Admiral Moffitt said the missing components could have been destroyed or might still be found.
He stressed that the investigation is at a very early stage and the cause of the crash remains unresolved.
A board of inquiry will also be convened to look into wider issues related to the crash.
The Navy's fleet of six ageing Sea Kings will remain grounded.
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