Wreckage from a plane crash that claimed the lives of a young couple was airlifted from an Argyll mountain yesterday.
A helicopter made three trips carrying large pieces of wreckage from the crash site, situated 1,640ft above sea level, to the bottom of the mountain by Loch Etive.
It was then placed on a trailer at Inverawe Smokehouses to be transported by road to the Air Accident Investigation Branch headquarters at Farnborough for examination.
Structural engineer David Rous, 28, and his GP wife Margaret Ann Rous, 37, died when their small plane crashed on Beinn nan Lus on Easter Saturday.
The couple from Newport-on-Tay corr were flying the single-engined PA28 Piper Cherokee plane from Dundee to the isle of Tiree. They had planned to visit Dr Rous’s widowed mother, Catriona.
A spokeswoman for the AAIB said: “The wreckage has been recovered and will be taken back to Farnborough. The AAIB is investigating and will report back in due course.”
Engineers brought specialist tools to the crash site to prepare the wreckage for removal from the mountain.
A tracked machine for travelling over difficult terrain was brought to the scene. The larger parts of the wreckage were lifted off the mountain by a PLM helicopter.
John Peden from Oban Mountain Rescue, who discovered the crash site with four colleagues on Saturday night after a major search operation, described the wreckage as “extremely tangled”.
Detective Chief Inspector Bob Frew, from the Major Investigations Team, is leading the police investigation.
He said: “Our family liaison officers are working closely with both families involved and will continue to support them throughout this difficult time.
“Police Scotland would like to take this opportunity to thank all the members of the public who called us on 101 to provide information regarding this incident.
“We would also like to extend our sincere thanks to the Oban Mountain Rescue team and all our partner agencies that have assisted in the search and recovery operation. Anyone with information regarding this incident is urged to contact police via the non-emergency number 101.”