The first drone pictures have emerged of the wreckage of a light aircraft crash which claimed the life of the pilot and launched a recovery operation in a remote location in WA's south dominated by dense bushland and steep terrain.
The plane went down about 400 kilometres south-east of Perth in the Mount Lindesay National Park on Tuesday morning, and wreckage from the small plane was spread across four hectares, according to WA police.
The man has been identified as 40-year-old Samuel Geoffrey Ferns, a waterbombing pilot who was based in the region in the lead-up to the state's bushfire season.
He was flying a privately owned Cessna 210 at the time of the accident.
The cause of the accident is still not known, but officers from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau have arrived in Albany and will head to the scene to begin their investigations.
Transport safety manager Robert Chopin said the organisation hoped to release a preliminary report within 30 days of the accident.
WA Police Great Southern District Superintendent Dom Wood said police are working with the investigators.
"It's our intention to get them straight up to the scene as soon as we can," he said.
Witnesses yesterday reported hearing intense revving noises and then an explosion.
A local dairy farmer said he called in the crash after a worker on his farm saw what he thought was a light plane go down in nearby forest.
The terrain hampered the recovery operation yesterday afternoon, with a paramedic being winched from a helicopter to assess the scene.
A bulldozer was then brought in to clear access for emergency crews.
Anyone with information is being asked to contact police or the ATSB on 1800 020 616.
