Wreckage of the Sydney Seaplane which crashed into a river on New Years Eve killing all six people on board has been pulled out of the water.
A floating crane will be used to recover the DHC-2 Beaver from the Hawkesbury River north of Sydney on Thursday.
The operation started at dawn and is expected to run into the afternoon.
Wreckage of the Sydney Seaplane which crashed into a river on New Years Eve killing all six people on board has been pulled out of the water
The operation started at dawn and is expected to run into the afternoon on Thursday
Wreckage from the fatal flight is being pulled out of the Hawkesbury River
Emma Bowden and her 11-year-old daughter Heather died in the seaplane crash
Experienced Canadian pilot Gareth Morgan (left) died in the crash along with high-profile British businessman Richard Cousins (right)
Experienced Canadian pilot Gareth Morgan, 44, died in the crash along with high-profile British businessman Richard Cousins, 58.
Mr Cousins’ two adult sons William, 25, and Edward, 23, his fiancee Emma Bowden and her 11-year-old daughter Heather also died when the plane plunged into Jerusalem Bay on December 31.
The plane is resting on its roof in about 15 metres of water, according to All Waterfront Constructions operations director Chris Kemp.
Two slings will be lowered and passed through the aircraft’s cabin by police divers.
‘Then we’ll be lifting the whole lot up and placing it on the barge,’ Mr Kemp said.
‘One of the wings is pretty badly damaged and bent over on the plane itself, so we’ll be pulling that back down and lashing it to the plane.’
‘We were on it the other day with the police divers and the cameras and it looks like there is still a wing intact on the fuselage.’
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is attempting to determine with the seaplane went down.
One possibility they are considering is that the plane stalled.
New South Wales Police will attempt to recover the DHC-2 Beaver from the Hawkesbury River north of Sydney on Thursday
Two slings will be lowered and passed through the aircraft’s cabin by police divers
A floating crane will be used to recover the Sydney Seaplane which crashed into a river on New Year’s Eve, killing all six people on board
Ms Bowden and her daughter Heather pictured in front of the Sydney Opera House
Aircraft maintenance engineer Michael Greenhill said it was not mandatory in Australia for Beaver planes to have stall warnings installed, but most did.
‘A stall is when the aiurflow over the aircraft’s wing becomes insufficient enough to produce lift,’ he said.
‘So basically the wing stops flying.’
A Canadian report published in September 2017 recommended the warning system should be mandatory on all Beaver planes.
The wreckage of the plane is expected to be recovered on Thursday before being taken to a reserve in Bayview.
This is believed to be the last photograph taken of the pilot Gareth Morgan
‘Even if the Beaver had this system fitted there’s a large possibility there would have been insufficient time to rectify the situation due to the low altitude and approaching terrain,’ Mr Greenhill said.
The wreckage of the plane is expected to be recovered on Thursday before being taken to a reserve in Bayview.
The ATSB is investigating witnesses’ claims the plane made a right-hand turn before it plunged into the water.
The ATSB is investigating witnesses’ claims the plane made a right-hand turn before it plunged into the water