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SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - Australia has grounded its entire fleet of aging Sea King naval helicopters after an investigation found a mechanical fault may have contributed to the crash of one of them on Indonesia's Nias island, a navy officer said Wednesday.
Rear Adm. Rowan Moffitt said investigators piecing together the aircraft found faults with a flight control mechanism. The helicopter plunged to the ground last month while on a humanitarian aid mission to the island after an earthquake, killing nine Australians and injuring two others on board.
"Two components of the flight control run which are normally connected were found to be detached from one another," Moffitt said. "Several parts of the hardware that normally connect those two items together haven't been located."
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