The discovered aircraft is an American Bell P-39 Airacobra fighter. According to Capt. 1st Rank Vadim Serga, these aircraft were supplied to the USSR under a lend-lease program in 1941-1945.
The plane was lying on the bottom of the lake for 72 years. It was submerged in the silt at a depth of 45 meters. In addition to the great depth, the works were hampered by poor visibility in the lake.
The fighter was lifted and towed to the shore very carefully and slowly, so as not to damage the structure, Capt. Serga said. The Bell P-39 Airacobra was then delivered to the Museum of the Air Forces of the Northern Fleet in the village of Safonovo, where the question of restoration will be decided.
The fact that the lost fighter should be at the bottom of the lake was known from archive data. In March 1945, Second Lieutenant Fedor Varavikov crashed when conducting a training flight. According to information from military archives, the pilot died in the aircraft that struck the ice of the lake and sank.
Capt. Serga noted that there were no human remains in the cockpit. Nevertheless, search operation participants paused for a moment of silence to honor the memory of the deceased pilot.
