The 29th of August, the ship «Kislovodsk» from Dudinka arrived at Krasnoyarsk with the parts of the plane C-47 «Douglas» on board. An international expedition «Douglas is waiting!» on evacuation of the liner from the Taimyr Peninsula, started the 2nd of August, had been organized by the Expeditionary Center of the Russian Geographical Society. An American pilot, Glen Moss, entered the team of the specialists – members of the Russian Geographical Society as well.
The aircraft C-47 «Douglas» was made in the USA in February, 1943. Then it was passed to the USSR within the frames of Lend-Lease. The plane was working from April, 1943 in the polar aviation in the north of the Krasnoyarsk Region. The 23rd of April, 1947 during the flight from the Kozhevnikova Bay - to Dudinka – to Krasnoyarsk, the plane made a forced landing on the marsh in the tundra. There were about 26-32 passengers onboard, according to different sources. The 11th of May the plane was found, part of the passengers were evacuated, but nine people, including the captain of the aircraft, were missing. The remains of the commander of the liner Maxim Turikov were found by Taimyr reindeer herder just in 1953.
First, members of the expedition reached the Khatanga village, then they went to the place where the emergency landing was made by the aircraft C-47 «Douglas» in 1947. The work on dismantling of the aircraft began the 6th of August, and the 11th of August already the barge with the parts of the liner went on the Pyasine River to the Valek hydroport, and followed to the Dudinka town then.
The aircraft will be placed in a special area of the Expeditionary Center of the Russian Geographical Society of the Siberian Federal District. At the nearest time the aircraft state will be assessed by the experts, then there will be started preparation for restoration work. In particular, they will decrypt and restore deleted notes, made by the passengers and the crew members of «Douglas» during an emergency landing on the tundra. A part of these notes has been preserved in excellent condition, that is confirmed by the photos, made by the participants of the expedition.
In spite of that fact that the liner had been standing in the Taimyr tundra almost for 70 years, it is virtually intact. Moreover, the specialists of the Expeditionary Center of the Russian Geographical Society, SFD are sure that «Douglas» is possible to be restored to flight status. It is supposed that the plane will become the main exhibit of the Museum of the development of the Russian North, which is planned to be built in Krasnoyarsk.
There will be installed a memorial sign at the site of an emergency landing of «Douglas».