Investigators have launched a formal probe after a light aircraft plunged into the Cromarty Firth.
Two men were rescued after the microlight they were in went down in the water near Resolis in the Black Isle on Saturday at about 2.15pm.
Today the Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) confirmed it begun an inquiry into what happened.
A spokesman said: “The AAIB is investigating the incident via correspondence.”
Instead of deploying a team to the scene, investigators will carry out their inquiries by contacting individuals when required. Specific details about their course of inquiry will stay confidential until a report is published with recommendations.
Yesterday’s drama unfolded just after 2pm when pilot Ivan Kinane, who was leading a flying lesson in another aircraft, spotted the microlight beneath him dropping down towards the water.
A major search was launched after he raised the alarm with Aberdeen Coastguard when the plane ditched.
The RNLI lifeboat from Invergordon was launched and managed to recover the casualties and they were then airlifted to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness.
The damaged plane was found upside down, with the two men having freed themselves but still in the water nearby.
The men were later described by a spokesman for the lifeboat crew as not injured but “shocked and hypothermic”.
The microlight had taken off from Easterton Airfield in Birnie, near Elgin earlier in the day and was heading west when it ran into problems.