The owners of a seaplane that crashed during take-off near a popular tourist island, leaving three people dead and three seriously hurt, say they're distraught over the tragedy.
"We are devastated by those injured and the loss of the two passengers involved in the terrible incident yesterday," Swan River Seaplanes company director Kristy Bailey said.
"Our deepest and sincere condolences are with their families and friends. We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of James (Wong), a talented and dedicated pilot who was an integral and deeply cherished member of our team."
Investigators believe the Cessna 208 Caravan 675 aircraft struck a small limestone outcrop called Phillip Rock while taking off from Rottnest Island, off the coast of Perth, about 4pm on Tuesday.
It plunged nose-first into the water near Thomson Bay with seven on board including Mr Wong.
Australian Transport Safety Bureau experts hope the sunken plane will divulge clues to the cause of the crash.
Any recorded information from the boat or passenger's phones they can gather will be their focus, ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell told reporters on the island late on Wednesday.
Experts have been sent from Perth, Brisbane and Canberra who specialise in aircraft operations and maintenance and "human factors", he added.
Meanwhile police will concentrate their efforts on the three deaths.
Mr Wong's body and those of two passengers were pulled from the wreckage by divers eight metres below the surface on Tuesday night after a frantic search through the afternoon hoping to find them alive.
As well as the 34-year-old Perth local, those killed were a 65-year-old Swiss woman and a 60-year-old Danish man.
Four people were helped from the water after the crash: a 63-year-old Swiss man, a 63-year-old West Australian man, a 65-year-old WA woman and a 58-year-old Danish woman. Three of them were taken to hospital.
WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch said there was a 200-metre exclusion zone in place while investigations and salvage operations continued.
Emergency services and civilian vessels dashed to the scene to help pull passengers from the plane.
WA Premier Roger Cook said his thoughts were with the family and friends of the victims, and thanked the people who rushed to help.
"They responded with true Western Australian spirit and the efforts undoubtedly save lives," he said.
Witnesses said the plane impact made a huge splash.
"It was just a big splash, it wasn't a big explosion or anything crazy," holiday maker Hayden Harvey told The West Australian.
"It's obviously like a sort of drop in the heart."
Rottnest Island, also known as Wadjemup, about 20km off the coast, is a popular holiday spot, attracting thousands of Australian and overseas visitors each year.
Holidaymaker Geoff Adeney said he was shocked when he spotted the plane's tail sticking out of the water from the beachfront chalet he is staying in with his family.
"All of a sudden there was just sirens and, you know, an ambulance and there was a fire brigade on the main jetty, flashing lights and things like that," he told AAP.
"Obviously, something big was going down."
Schoolboy Theo Shewell, 13, also watched the rescuers at the crash site from the island's town site.
"It's pretty sad that you hear a pilot and two tourists died," he said.
"Considering that it was like right there, which is so close to where we're standing."
Georgia Moore said it had been a chaotic scene but emergency personnel were prepared and quick.
"This is an island where people come to celebrate and relax and drink and have fun and all the rest," she said.
"Something so horrible and tragic has happened, and then ... everything is just kind of back to normal.
"I'm not feeling very joyful today."
