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Rescuers are expected to work over the weekend to retrieve the bodies of five men who died when a light plane crashed on a remote beach in Queensland's far north.
The bodies of the pilot Stuart Wavell, 36, and four government workers remain in the wreckage of the twin-engine Cessna that crashed on a beach during its third attempt to land at Lockhart River Airport on Wednesday.
The workers the Queensland government's building unit QBuild have been identified as health and safety officer Wayne Ganter, 63; Mark Rawlings, 49; Wayne Brischke, 57; and Henry Roebig, 62.
Mr Ganter's son Jake paid tribute to his after as a "loyal, honest and hardworking" man.
"First and foremost he was a family man, devoting his time to providing, teaching and making sacrifices for us that we will always be truly grateful for," he told the Cairns Post.
"He taught us to be conscientious and brave, and we know that's how he would have been in his last moments."
Cape York police Inspector Mark Henderson it was a "catastrophic scene" and the crash site could only be accessed via water.
"We are challenged with the tides. High tides are up against the dunes which are preventing access and it is some five kilometres down from the Lockhart River boat ramp," he said.
"The dunes back onto thickery and onto a swamp. It makes access extremely difficult. There is no other access to it via the ground other than light boat during high tide times.
"We will work throughout the day and into the weekend to bring closure for the families."
The deceased were all from the Cairns area, police said.
The plane smashed into sand dunes about 7km southeast of the airstrip.
- Reported with AAP