It’s going to be interesting to see the ATSB report on this tragic accident.
It does seem as though it wasn’t a planned emergency landing as there is no mention of doors being opened before the crash, which should be done when intentionally ditching to reduce the risk of being trapped.
The de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver is an excellent aircraft for this application with great Short Take Off & Landing (STOL) capability & is well suited to bush flying.
Although there’s concern about the plane having a crash in 1996, the aircraft inspectors are very thorough & wouldn’t have risked their license to declare a faulty aircraft airworthy.
Hawkesbury River seaplane crash: Craft once used as a crop duster and had been 'destroyed' - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
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