HILO, Hawai'i — The wreckage of an Island Hoppers Cessna 172 that crashed in thick forest on the southwest rift zone of Mauna Loa will be removed tomorrow morning from the crash site, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

Three off-duty Big Island fire fighters will work with a local helicopter company as contractors hired by Island Hoppers' insurance company, and will be lowered by rope into the site to gather the wreckage so it can be moved to a Civil Air Patrol hangar at the Hilo airport, according to an NTSB spokesperson.

The salvage operation will begin at about 6 a.m. tomorrow, and "will likely take several trips," according to NTSB spokeswoman Bridget Serchak. If the work cannot be completed before the weather and vog close in on the site, the effort will continue on Friday, she said in a written statement.

NTSB investigator Jim Struhsaker is expected to brief reporters next week on the status of the investigation into the cause of the crash.

The tour plane disappeared June 17 with Island Hoppers pilot Katsuhiro Takahashi, 40, and two Japanese tourists on board. The passengers were Nobuhiro Suzuki, 53, and his wife Masako, 56, of Chiba prefecture in Japan.

The wreckage was found early Sunday in an isolated area of the Ka'u Forest Reserve at the 5,200-foot elevation. There were no survivors.