Hawkesbury River seaplane crash: Craft once used as a crop duster and had been 'destroyed'
Updated
The seaplane that crashed in the Hawkesbury River on New Year's Eve, killing six people, had been "destroyed" in a fatal accident 20 years ago, according to transport bureau documents.
A report from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau reveals the plane was once a crop duster that was involved in a serious crash near Armidale in November 1996, killing the pilot.
Investigators were unable to work out what caused the crash, but said it was likely the aircraft stalled and the pilot was unable to regain control before it struck the ground.
The report states the plane was "destroyed", but the Civil Aviation Safety Authority has confirmed that a specialist engineer assessed the damage and said it was repairable.
The 55-year-old de Haviland DHC-2 Beaver, which was making a right turn immediately before the crash into the river north of Sydney, had only recently had its engine rebuilt.
It was built in Canada in 1963 and bought by Sydney Seaplanes in 2006.
The ATSB are still investigating what happened in the final moments of the Hawkesbury River crash but said there was no evidence of any systemic problems with the plane.
Plane to be recovered from water
A police operation is underway to recover the submerged plane, which is expected to be 13 metres below the surface.
Divers using surface supply hoses for air and communication with the boat above will use inflatable lift bags to raise the plane to the surface.
As part of its investigations into the ditching of the plane, the ATSB will examine information from mobile phones and cameras that may have been on board, as well as any vision witnesses are able to provide.
If any faults with the plane become apparent, the ATSB will notify operators immediately but there is no evidence there are any broader problems.
The bureau has declined to say the crash resulted from a nosedive and are still piecing together information about what happened moments before impact.
Topics: air-transport, accidents---other, disasters-and-accidents, cowan-2081
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