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| Sydney seaplane crash: Operation to raise wreckage begins | Sydney seaplane crash: Operation to raise wreckage begins |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Australian authorities have begun recovering the wreckage of a seaplane that crashed near Sydney, killing six people. | Australian authorities have begun recovering the wreckage of a seaplane that crashed near Sydney, killing six people. |
| On Sunday, high-profile UK business leader Richard Cousins, four members of his family and a Canadian pilot died when the plane plunged into a river. | On Sunday, high-profile UK business leader Richard Cousins, four members of his family and a Canadian pilot died when the plane plunged into a river. |
| Part of the plane was being lifted by a crane on to a barge on Thursday. | Part of the plane was being lifted by a crane on to a barge on Thursday. |
| It has also emerged that a plane with the same serial number was involved in a fatal crash in 1996. | It has also emerged that a plane with the same serial number was involved in a fatal crash in 1996. |
| On Thursday, local news broadcasts showed the De Havilland DHC-2 Beaver being retrieved from the Hawkesbury River, about 50km (30 miles) north of Sydney. | On Thursday, local news broadcasts showed the De Havilland DHC-2 Beaver being retrieved from the Hawkesbury River, about 50km (30 miles) north of Sydney. |
| The recovery operation began at 06:00 local time (19:00 GMT Wednesday) and was expected to last until the afternoon. | The recovery operation began at 06:00 local time (19:00 GMT Wednesday) and was expected to last until the afternoon. |
| The crash killed Compass Group chief executive Mr Cousins, 58, his 48-year-old fiancée, magazine editor Emma Bowden, her 11-year-old daughter Heather, his sons, Edward, 23, and William, 25, and Sydney-based pilot Gareth Morgan, 44. | The crash killed Compass Group chief executive Mr Cousins, 58, his 48-year-old fiancée, magazine editor Emma Bowden, her 11-year-old daughter Heather, his sons, Edward, 23, and William, 25, and Sydney-based pilot Gareth Morgan, 44. |
| The family, from Tooting, in south-west London, were flying back to Sydney from an exclusive waterfront restaurant in Jerusalem Bay, not far from the crash site. | The family, from Tooting, in south-west London, were flying back to Sydney from an exclusive waterfront restaurant in Jerusalem Bay, not far from the crash site. |
| What happened in 1996? | What happened in 1996? |
| According to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald, the same plane was involved in an accident that killed a pilot 22 years ago. | According to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald, the same plane was involved in an accident that killed a pilot 22 years ago. |
| Its wingtip had struck a hill amid gusty conditions "conducive to windshear and turbulence" in rural New South Wales, according to an Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) report. | Its wingtip had struck a hill amid gusty conditions "conducive to windshear and turbulence" in rural New South Wales, according to an Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) report. |
| Investigators said the aircraft was climbing at almost maximum weight when it clipped the ground, sending it into a cartwheel. | Investigators said the aircraft was climbing at almost maximum weight when it clipped the ground, sending it into a cartwheel. |
| The plane was then repaired and cleared to fly again under official safety requirements, the Civil Aviation and Safety Authority told the BBC. | The plane was then repaired and cleared to fly again under official safety requirements, the Civil Aviation and Safety Authority told the BBC. |
| It had since flown thousands of trips as a sightseeing plane until the crash on New Year's Eve. | It had since flown thousands of trips as a sightseeing plane until the crash on New Year's Eve. |
| Seaplanes Pilots Association vice-president Kevin Bowe told the Sydney Morning Herald that crashed planes were rebuilt to a condition that was "often better than new". | Seaplanes Pilots Association vice-president Kevin Bowe told the Sydney Morning Herald that crashed planes were rebuilt to a condition that was "often better than new". |
| How long will the current investigation take? | How long will the current investigation take? |
| ATSB investigators have said they will release a preliminary report in about 30 days. | ATSB investigators have said they will release a preliminary report in about 30 days. |
| "The full sequence of events leading up to the accident is not fully understood at this stage," said ATSB executive director Nat Nagy on Tuesday. | |
| He said investigators would rigorously examine the wreckage, gather witness accounts, and examine the pilot's flying history, in an effort to learn what happened. | He said investigators would rigorously examine the wreckage, gather witness accounts, and examine the pilot's flying history, in an effort to learn what happened. |