SEATTLE (AP) — The National Transportation Safety Board and the U.S. Navy have started efforts to recover the wreckage of a floatplane that crashed in Washington state’s Puget Sound earlier this month, killing all 10 people on board.
A barge that’s been equipped to conduct the recovery entered the shipping channel Monday, KING-5 News reported. It was expected to drop anchors near the suspected wreckage location before a team arrives at the barge Tuesday.
The U.S. Navy will use a remotely operated vehicle Deep Drone 8,000, a barge and a crane in recovery efforts. The remotely operated vehicle will collect smaller pieces of wreckage into baskets for the crane to lift, the NTSB said.
Some items from the plane have already been recovered including foam fragments, a seat cushion, a seat belt, dispatch paperwork, flooring structure remnants and some personal items belonging to the victims, , according to the NTSB.
The plane was traveling from Friday Harbor on San Juan Island to the Seattle suburb of Renton when it crashed on Sept. 4. Only one body was found, identified as Gabby Hanna of Seattle.
Officials say determining the probable cause of the crash could take 12 to 24 months.
