Latest: 'Significant' amount of wreckage recovered from R116
The Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU) has released a statement saying they have rescued a significant amount of debris from the R116.
The helicopter wreakage was recovered from the general area of the Black Rock Light House and is primarily from the tail area of the craft.
The statement said it was too early to pinpoint a cause for the crash, however it did say that the marks on the debris found were consistent with the tail of the aircraft contacting rocky surfaces on the Western end of Blackrock.
The search remains underway to recover the black box which they think is in an earmarked area, which they will be investigating as soon as weather allows.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny travelled to Co Mayo to meet Coast Guard volunteers involved in the search for R116 and its crew.
Almost a week since coast guard helicopter Rescue 116 went missing, efforts to find the black box are continuing at Halla Naomh Brendán in Aughleam near Blacksod.
Today's work includes analysing data retrieved when the ocean floor area where it is thought the helicopter crashed was successfully mapped.
The search team operating off Blacksod Bay in Mayo say they have successfully mapped the ocean floor around the suspected crash site for Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 116.
They took advantage of a lull in the high ocean swell at the weekend and completed the necessary preparation for the next stage of the operation.
The Coast Guard's Declan Geoghegan said that they have made significant progress.
"All the work that we set out to do in terms of the preparatory work for the launch and the main rescue mission has been completed," he said.
"It's just weather dependent now. At the moment the forecast doesn't look great - I'm mainly talking about swell in that area."
