SAN JUAN ISLANDS, Wash. – Crews have begun recovery efforts on a floatplane that crashed earlier this month near Whidbey Island.
KING 5 reports that a barge that’s been equipped to conduct the recovery entered the shipping channel on Monday, September 26th.
It’s expected to drop anchor near the suspected wreckage location before a team arrives at the barge later on Tuesday.
The Navy will use a remotely operated vehicle and a crane to bring the wreckage to the surface.
The remotely operated vehicle will collect smaller pieces of wreckage into baskets.
The NTSB said that some items from the plane have already been recovered.
Those include foam fragments, a seat cushion, a seat belt, dispatch paperwork, flooring structure remnants and some personal items belonging to the victims.
The plane was traveling from Friday Harbor to Renton when it crashed on September 4th, killing all ten people onboard.
Officials say determining the probable cause of the crash could take up to 2 years.