The helicopter broke into three parts, the tail, body and rotor.PHOENIX (AP/CBS5) -
Authorities probing a deadly helicopter crash near Camp Verde have discovered a severed cable near the crash site and found marks on the rotor blade consistent with hitting a cable.
Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board continued combing through the wreckage Tuesday to find anything that might help determine what caused the crash Saturday.
Board spokesman Eric Weiss says it could take up to a year to make that determination. A preliminary report is due out soon.
He says the helicopter was found in a river in three main pieces - the tail, rotor and the body. A cable and pulley system sits about 50 feet above the river.
The cable was found about 100 yards away from the crash and about 50 feet high.
The wreckage should be taken out of the river Wednesday and investigators will retrieve any flight records and electronic devices that might determine what happened, Weiss said.
Four people died in the crash - Mike Dunaway, 63, Linda Dunaway, 64, Karen Stinn, 68, and pilot Raymond Perry, 70. Perry was also the chief executive officer of Arriba Mexican Grill.
A Yavapai County Sheriff's Office team confirmed the deaths and a medical examiner will be taking custody of the bodies soon, a YCSO spokesman said.
Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. CBS 5 (Meredith Corporation) contributed to this report.
