A full engine deconstruction of a seaplane that crashed off a popular tourist island could shed light on the cause of the tragedy that killed three people.
The Cessna 208 Caravan 675 was carrying seven people when it slammed nose-first into the water soon after take-off and sank at Rottnest Island, off the coast of Perth, on January 7.
Pilot James Wong, 34, a 65-year-old Swiss woman and 60-year-old Danish man died in the accident, with a 63-year-old Swiss man, 58-year-old Danish woman and Western Australians Jeremy and Patricia Connor, aged 63 and 65, among the survivors.
A preliminary report into the crash released by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau on Thursday provided details of the incident but no findings on its cause.
Investigators were awaiting information from the plane's Canadian manufacturer ahead of a full tear-down of the plane's engine in coming weeks, ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said.
The report included texts from one of the directors of Swan River Seaplanes to Mr Wong at 3.11pm to ask about wind conditions.
He responded conditions were "OK but rough" and the swell was "not too bad" closer to shore, noting the aircraft would be "pretty light" for the departure.
The aircraft's earlier flight to Rottnest Island carrying the pilot and 10 passengers was described as uneventful.
Six passengers boarded its return flight to South Perth and were wearing life jackets.
"Passengers described conditions onboard the vessel and pontoon as rough and windy," the report said of the return flight from the island.
The engine was switched on at 4pm and the plane travelled along the surface of the water for 32 seconds, bouncing multiple times as it hit waves or swell.
The plane's left wing rose on two occasions and its engine power gradually reduced for about 20 seconds before the aircraft became airborne.
It became airborne with a high nose while approaching the western tip of a limestone outcrop called Phillip Rock before rolling rapidly to the left and hitting the water.
The aircraft remained partially afloat and all cabin doors were submerged, forcing four passengers to move into a pocket of air in the rear cabin before escaping from the top section of the rear right door.
The bodies of Mr Wong and the two tourists were later pulled from the wreckage, eight metres below the water's surface, after three of the four survivors were taken to hospital.
"At this stage, we know that it was an aerodynamic stall on that left wing," Mr Mitchell said in Melbourne on Thursday.
"Now that's likely due to a loss of speed or to insufficient speed on take-off.
"Our examination of the aircraft wreckage did not identify any damage consistent with the aircraft having struck rocks or a submerged object.
"An inspection of the engine did not identify any evidence of damage to the engine prior to the accident."
Most take-offs from that day occurred in a southerly direction into a headwind but the doomed aircraft took a different path into a crosswind blowing about 25 knots.
"That is very much towards the extremities of what the aircraft is capable of," Mr Mitchell said.
The bureau is also probing concerns raised in the days prior about the plane's maintenance after it was revealed the aircraft had been sitting in a hangar in Bankstown in Sydney's west for an extended amount of time.
The aircraft arrived in Perth on New Year's Day and made several flights before the crash.
Mr Wong had more than 1900 hours of flight experience, including almost 1400 hours on float planes and more than 2600 water landings.
