A helicopter which crashed into a Western Isles loch with the death of its pilot will be salvaged and transported to an investigation centre in Hampshire in England.
Salvage experts have been called in to assess the best method to recover the submerged aircraft.
An official accident investigation team is also speaking to three eyewitnesses who watched in horror as the helicopter plunged into the water in North Uist shortly before 10.15am on Wednesday morning.
Peter Clunas, 59, from Newburgh in Aberdeenshire died at the scene when the PDG Aviation Services operated AS350 Squirrel aircraft ditched into Loch Scadavay, a few miles south of Lochmaddy.
The father-
The helicopter flipped over and is submerged upside down with just its landing skids visible above the surface.
Lifting the semi-
It will then be transported off the island to their base in Farnborough.
Four AAIB personnel on the scene in Uist have commissioned a salvage team to look at options over the safest and best way to recover the helicopter.
Alan Thorne, a senior inspector with the AAIB, said: “We are consulting with marine salvage experts to try and work out the best way to recover the helicopter without doing any more damage to it which might impede our investigation.”
He added: “We will take it back to our base in Farnborough for a detailed examination.”
Because the helicopter is in the water, “the ground around the loch is very soft and boggy and that will be quite difficult with equipment.”
He explained: “We are having preliminary look at the accident site, seeing what we have got to deal with.
He added: “The whole purpose is to understand what happened, why it happened,” and if there will be any safety recommendations.
Alan Thorne, senior air accident inspector
Crashed helicopter to be salvaged from loch
18 June 2018