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The Latest: Wreckage of crashed helicopter moved to Phoenix

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) - The Latest on the investigation into the crash of a sightseeing helicopter in the Grand Canyon that killed three British tourists and injured four other people (all times local):

7 p.m.

Authorities have recovered the wreckage of a sightseeing helicopter that crashed in the Grand Canyon last weekend, killing three British tourists.

The pilot and three other Britons were critically injured Saturday evening and taken to a Las Vegas trauma center.

The wreckage of the Airbus EC130 B4 was extracted Tuesday and has been taken to Phoenix to be examined by the National Transportation Board as part of its investigation.

Investigators will interview witnesses, survivors, the helicopter operator and manufacturer and others before issuing a full report in more than a year.

Preliminary findings are expected before the end of the month.

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12:30 p.m.

Flight restrictions put in place after a sightseeing helicopter crashed in the Grand Canyon have been lifted.

Three British tourists were killed in the crash Saturday on tribal land outside the national park. The medical examiner's office that did the autopsies says they died of multiple injuries.

The pilot and three other Britons were critically injured and taken to a Las Vegas trauma center.

The Federal Aviation Administration had imposed flight restrictions on the Hualapai reservation for any aircraft not involved in rescue and recovery efforts. A spokesman said Wednesday that those restrictions are no longer in effect.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the crash. A preliminary report is expected before the end of the month.

This is an undated family handout photo issued by Britain's Foreign & Commonwealth Office and made available on Tuesday Feb. 13, 2018 of Stuart Hill, left, and his brother Jason Hill, who both died in a Grand Canyon helicopter crash. An expert says investigators are likely to pay special attention to the type of helicopter that crashed in the Grand Canyon, killing three British tourists. Aviation attorney Gary C. Robb says the EC-130 helicopter generally lacks a system to keep it from exploding on impact, denying passengers a few extra minutes to try to escape. It comes after the crash on tribal land, which has fewer regulations than helicopter tours in Grand Canyon National Park. (Family Handout Foreign & Commonwealth Office via AP) The Associated Press
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