Investigators looking into the helicopter crash that killed British newlyweds Alexander Cromie and Marie Ebert in Greece believe a damaged tail rotor blade from an earlier incident may be to blame. The Bell 206 helicopter, also carrying a Greek pilot, spun out of control while landing on the island of Sifnos, killing all three aboard, and the case matters because it raises questions about whether inadequate maintenance checks after a prior scare allowed an unsafe aircraft back into service.

The earlier incident occurred on 1 June, when restraining straps fitted to immobilise the tail blades during high winds on Paros were apparently not removed before the pilot restarted the engine, according to a report filed with Greece's Civil Aviation Authority; experts are now examining whether this caused hidden strain or damage. The helicopter received an airworthiness certificate on 2 July, weeks before the fatal 80-mile, £1,300 honeymoon flight, and the ensuing fire has hampered investigators. Greece's aviation authority has since mandated visual and functional checks on all Bell 206 tail rotors before every flight, while colleagues at Blackstone and Bain & Company, where the couple worked, have paid tribute to them.