The complex operation to remove the wreckage of a plane crash that claimed two lives, continued last night in the Argyll mountains.
Engineers and inspectors from the Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) were flown by helicopter to the crash site, situated 1,640ft above sea level on Beinn nan Lus, by Loch Etive.
Structural engineer David Rous, 28, and his GP wife Margaret Ann Rous, 37, died when their small single-engined PA28 Piper Cherokee plane crashed on the mountain near Oban.
The couple from Newport-on-Tay were flying from Dundee to the isle of Tiree to visit Dr Rous’s widowed mother Catriona on Saturday.
Engineers brought specialist tools to the crash site yesterday and were preparing 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 will be lifted off the mountain by a giant twin rotor Chinook helicopter from the RAF. It will then be placed on lorries and driven to the AAIB base at Farnborough for examination.
A spokesman for the AAIB said: “The AAIB is continuing its investigation. At this point it is ongoing.”
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”.
Condolences continued to pour in from the isle of Tiree, where Dr Rous grew up.
A statement on the Tiree Music Festival Facebook page said: “Unfortunately it was a very sad Easter Weekend for the Tiree community with the tragic loss of Margaret Ann Rous (MacLean) and her husband David as they travelled home to Tiree on Saturday. All at TMF would like echo the spirit of the Tiree community by sending our condolences and support to both families at this very tragic time.”
The couple had been married for three years after meeting when he visited Tiree several years ago. Tiree GP Dr John Holliday said: “I had known Margaret-Ann since the 1980s. She captivated everyone that knew her. She was absolutely gorgeous in every way. She became a much-loved GP in Dundee and I have no doubt that she was a wonderful doctor with her charm and great empathy.
“He was a really nice man and a very talented structural engineer with a bright professional career ahead of him.
“Together they made a fine couple. We can only imagine what the family must be suffering.”