Jurgen Whyte of the Air Accident Investigation Unit said it was the "absolute hope" that the crew are with the wreckage.
"It's hugely positive, we could hear the beacon, we were homing in on the beacon and the proof in the pie is we have located the main part of the wreckage which is the helicopter itself.
"We have the wreckage so it's just a matter of getting the weather window to get the ROV down, work our way through t
'Hugely significant' discovery as underwater robot locates Rescue 116 wreckage - Independent.ie