On Saturday, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) ordered the grounding of all Robinson R44 aircraft fitted with a C016-7 Dash 7 main rotor blade.
The directive followed the crash of an Over The Top helicopter in the Lochy Valley near Queenstown last Thursday in which two of the helicopter company's employees, Stephen Combe and James Patterson-Gardner, died.
The CAA withdrew the directive yesterday after laboratory testing established the blade was not to blame for the crash.
Wanaka Helicopters owner Simon Spencer-Bower told the ODT he was ''extremely relieved''.
''None of us want to fly around thinking we've got some equipment that's suspect and might fail.
''And, for it to be found that that didn't happen gives us a lot more confidence.''
He believed grounding aircraft, of any sort, during safety investigations was appropriate.
''Everyone, including the general public, must appreciate it's a really good system, and now we can all realise there is nothing wrong with them.
''I imagine the manufacturers are very relieved, as well.''
Mr Spencer-Bower's two grounded Robinson R44s would be back in the air when next required.
New Zealand Helicopter Association executive officer John Sinclair said the announcement was welcome news for operators.
An industry that had been ''looking down the barrel'' of a long, costly wait could get back to work.
He praised the CAA's handling of the issue, saying it ''didn't have a choice'' about Saturday's grounding because the Lochy Valley crash initially appeared to involve a failure similar to an earlier incident.
On January 23, a pilot safely landed an R44 after experiencing severe rotor blade vibration.
The blade from that aircraft has been sent to its manufacturer for analysis.
Civil Aviation director Graeme Harris said the blade retrieved from the Lochy Valley crash had failed because of overloading, probably caused by ''impact damage''.
''It was highly likely that it was damaged during the accident sequence, rather than being the failure that initiated the accident.''
Over The Top said in a statement yesterday it would continue to support the CAA with its investigation while staff prepared for the funerals tomorrow and on Saturday for their ''much-loved colleagues''.
Saturday's grounding, the largest in New Zealand aviation history, affected 80 aircraft.
The R44 is among the most common helicopters in the world, and is widely used in New Zealand's agriculture and tourism industries.
It is a light, four-seater helicopter with a top cruising speed of about 217kmh.
- Additional reporting NZME.
