Tue Mar 30,12:07 PM ET
By PAM EASTON, Associated Press Writer
HOUSTON - The bodies of the final two missing passengers aboard a helicopter that vanished a week ago in the Gulf of Mexico with 10 people aboard have been recovered, authorities said Tuesday.
The bodies of Jason Petitjean, 34, of Rayne, La., and Jeff Langley, 42, of Kountze, Texas, were recovered late Monday night from the Gulf's floor.
"It's a sad relief would be the way to put it," said Christine LeLaurin, a spokeswoman for Unocal, the California-based oil company that chartered the helicopter.
The cause of the crash was still under investigation. The National Transportation Safety Board has retrieved most of the wreckage needed to complete the probe, agency spokeswoman Lorenda Ward said.
It could take up to 18 months for a final report on the crash, which is being investigated by the NTSB and the Federal Aviation Administration.
The helicopter took off from an airfield in Galveston and was headed to a drill ship near South Padre Island. The aircraft was 90 miles south of Galveston when the pilot made his last radio contact.
Remains of four people and a life vest were found a day later floating in the Gulf. Another four bodies were located Friday.