NTSB: 80% of floatplane wreckage recovered near Whidbey Island after crash killed 10

ISLAND COUNTY, Wash. - Authorities say they’ve recovered 80% of a floatplane that crashed earlier this month near Whidbey Island that killed all ten people on board.The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the US Navy are working together to recover the wreckage.Teams began a 24/7 operation Tuesday morning working until the wreckage is back above water.

Crews are equipped with an underwater drone, a large crane and a team of specialists.Chair of the NTSB Jennifer Homendy told FOX 13 News on Thursday that they were making progress."Yesterday we were able to bring up the engine for the plane, and today we were able to bring up about 80% of the plane which is good progress," said Homendy. "Now we are currently searching for a few other pieces to bring up: we have the wing a portion of the horizontal stabilizer for both elevators, and the ailerons that we are looking to bring up, and we also just found the propeller and gear box that we are also bringing up."The NTSB says one of the biggest challenges they have faced is dealing with the current."It’s really been difficult because when the current is really strong the ROV (remotely-operated vehicle) can’t move forward and will move around and in some cases it gets very difficult to see even with the lights and the cameras," she said. "So what has happened is we have had to bring up the ROV when it has become a challenge, and then we wait until the next slack tide, so we can put the ROV back in and do what we can in that time frame."RELATED: NTSB locates wreckage of floatplane that crashed off Whidbey IslandEach crew works in 12-hour shifts, and they do expect to continue this work over the next few days.On Sept.