Peter Hensel rarely smiled, but when his wife Sue walked into the room he beamed.
The elderly American couple had been on their dream honeymoon when the tourist helicopter they were travelling in crashed into waters near Queensland's Whitsunday Islands.
Friends on Friday described the Hawaiian pair as "a really sweet couple."
Ronald Cole told AAP the couple met at a lodge in Kona, where they were members before becoming friends.
"I noticed them over the years - him first coming in, in the afternoon, seldom smiling having a drink or two, and then she started coming in, and she could really make him smile," he told AAP.
Peter, 79, and Sue, 65, married last December and the Whitsundays was chosen as their honeymoon destination.
Vern Ungerecht, Peter's friend of more than 25 years, said they were thrilled to be going on the trip.
"They were so looking forward to this. They were so excited about this big trip. It was a new experience for both of them," Mr Ungerecht told West Hawaii Today.
Friend Wendy Zweigardt said the couple would be missed.
"They were so happy, and a really sweet couple. I was so happy for them getting married. They will certainly be missed," she wrote on Facebook.
A younger couple from Colorado, one of whom is believed to be Mrs Hensel's daughter, escaped the crash with minor injuries.
Investigators on Friday will try to recover the wreckage of the helicopter.
Four investigators - two each from Brisbane and Canberra - are on their way to the scene at Hardy Reef, Australian Transport Safety Bureau chief commissioner Greg Hood said on Thursday.
They will recover and examine the wreckage, interview witnesses, and examine flight data and training and maintenance logs.
Police are speaking to witnesses on Hamilton Island as they continue to assist the Australian Transport Safety Bureau with the investigation and recovery of the aircraft.
The 35-year-old pilot also escaped serious injury and pulled Mrs Hensel from the helicopter, while others performed CPR on both victims under instruction by phone from emergency services officers.
"It's absolutely essential in this type of accident that we get as many perspectives we possibly can from any witnesses," Mr Hood said as he asked for anyone who had seen anything to come forward.
A preliminary report will be published in late April.
Operator Whitsunday Air Services has suspended all operations and will work with authorities to determine the cause of the crash.
The crash happened a day after the ATSB released its findings into a November incident involving the company, in which no one was injured.
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