Row over Everest helicopter claim

BBC NEWS | South Asia | Bhagirath Yogi : "The Nepalese authorities plan to notify international aviation bodies that a helicopter firm's claim to have landed at the summit of Everest is false. They say the claim in May by France's Eurocopter firm that one of its craft made it to the top is misleading.

Eurocopter said that the helicopter was the first to land and take off at the summit of the mountain. The firm has yet to respond to the allegations by the Nepalese government that it violated aviation guidelines. The controversy over Eurocopter's claim has now been rumbling for three months.

Nepalese authorities say Eurocopter first sought permission from the government to carry out a test flight around Everest. They said permission was granted with the view that, if successful, the mission would convey the message that rescues could be launched at a much higher altitude. The authorities were taken aback when more than a week after its team had returned home, Eurocopter organised a news conference in Paris claiming that its helicopter had made history.

An investigation carried out by the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) said in June the Eurocopter claim was totally false. It said it had a written statement by pilot Didier Delsalle saying that the helicopter had made an emergency landing a kilometre below, at the South Col, due to bad weather. "