Aircraft inspectors have rejected most of the recommendations of a report into a helicopter crash which killed three people, two of them from Sussex.

The Transport Department's Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) raised 13 points following its inquiry into the tragedy in which a pilot and two passengers were killed.

The Hughes 269C plummeted to the ground and exploded in a fireball after its tail boom broke away and smashed into the spinning rotors.

The craft was on its way from High Wycombe, Bucks, to Shoreham airport when the accident happened, killing passengers Dennis Kenyon, 18, from Shoreham Beach, and Jane Biddulph, 23, from Lancing as well as pilot Brendan Loft, 38, from Surrey.

But the Civil Aviation Authority has rejected ten of the recommendations.

Helicopter engineer Paul Kenward, 48, from Kent, was last year cleared of three charges of manslaughter but later jailed for eight months for licensing the illegal repair job to the tail which failed, causing the smash.

In its report published today the AAIB said the CAA had not detected the repair in a survey in October 1999 and the aircraft had been granted a certificate or airworthiness.

The AAIB said that despite the history in other similar helicopters of cracking in the area that was welded, "these areas of structure were not amongst those listed for inspection during that CAA survey".

The AAIB said that non-approved welding "was not an isolated occurrence on this helicopter type" and there was "confusion" among UK operators of Hughes 269s about inspections and fittings.

The AAIB recommendations covered tightening up procedures but only one was accepted by the CAA while two were partially accepted.

The CAA said today: "We normally accept around 80 per cent of AAIB recommendations. But in this case we felt the AAIB have highlighted areas that we feel they do not understand."

The CAA spokesman went on: "Our 1999 inspection was not a sign-off for the safety of the helicopter. The whole thing revolves around maintenance. These type of helicopters are perfectly safe if they are properly maintained."

Ms Biddulph was thrown out of the cockpit and into the main rotor blades in the crash. Her body was found 200 metres from the crash scene.

The AAIB said her centre seat position should not have been occupied because it was not equipped with an upper-torso restraint. But it added "this accident was non-survivable for all occupants".