The ATSB report gives the position of the accident site as 37°41'24.0"S 146°09'00.0"EOn Google Earth this is a hillside, but less than a kilometre to the South West there is a tiny little reservoir.
Skycrane crews really earn their pay.
Seagull V

Still a lump but Empty Weight on the Crane is normally around 9t. With a lifting capacity of 9t - 12t depending on variant and assuming all the water is out of the cockpit / fuel and its not snagged, it should be possible to sling it out with another Aircrane.

99.9976854% is submerged in water so both cockpit and most the fuel tanks will be full of water and possibly in a mud or rock deposit - I doubt another Aircrane can do a recovery with it in one piece. If water tank, fuel and cockpit are full you are looking more like 25T at a guess.

Would this be 'relevant'..?
CASA Briefing newsletter 29 Jan 2019.....

Night aerial fire-fighting makes history

History was made in early 2019 with the first night aerial firefighting operations used to combat an out-of-control bushfire in Victoria. The Rosedale blaze in East Gippsland burnt through 12,000 hectares in less than four days in a fast-moving fire front. A total of 60 water drops were made at night on the fire, using helicopters equipped with a snorkel system that collects water from nearby dams and lakes. Aircraft crews also used night vision goggles to map out the fire, helping to provide detailed information to firefighting crews on the ground. CASA has given approval for night firefighting trials by Emergency Management Victoria, allowing aircraft to fight blazes for up to four hours after dark if they have been fighting the same fire during daylight hours. There are now two certified night fire-fighting operators, Kestrel Aviation in Mangalore and Coulson Aviation in Ballarat. Emergency Management Commissioner, Andrew Crisp, said the helicopters were deployed as part of the continuing trial into night fire suppression operations in Victoria. Mr Crisp said the Rosedale fire was a good example of a fire that could benefit from night operations and indications were that the operation went well, with further opportunities to learn.

I dunno…Just a thought…..

Cheers

Bend alot wrote:

Ah yes, I didn't think about the water tank still being there, you are right, its going to need some disassembly.

No, not at all relevant. The Cranes aren’t part of the night ops team, plus it was daytime when they ditched.

Sunfish.

Many older aircraft have been lost on firebombing activities with metal fatigue later being found as the cause. The names Electra and C-130 come to mind.

Just exactly what do you think the role of regulators/investigators is after an accident where there's a possibility of a systemic fault that just might affect other aircraft? Do nothing? It only took a little while for the all-clear to be given for the helicopter fleet of similar aircraft to fly. A small and prudent precaution I would have thought.

Bash CASA and ATSB when they deserve it by all means but please leave things like post-accident precautions to the professionals.

Sunny.
So the 2013 Ulladulla Dromader accident should not have resulted in grounding of other similar aircraft?
Wunwing

Get it upright, fill it full of gas and I'll fly it out! If I can start it, I can fly it, is my motto. :ok:

What authority does CASA have to ground a US manufactured aircraft that does not have Australian type certification is US registered being flown by US pilots??

Seriously? The (very) short grounding was by the contract holders to ensure safety compliance for all firefighters. Nothing to do with CASA.

The original photo showing the damaged tail rotor drive shaft should be a key indication of the circumstances of the accident.

John, that is what I expected and frankly, I think is a reasonable response. But what I saw reported was that it was CASA's decision, which I didn't understand. I can't see that CASA has much to do with these operations and frankly, I wonder about the ATSB too. The ATSB is certainly not going to have any of the required expertise.