The work was meticulously prepared, and had to be done in stages. A great deal of resources were used to salvage as much as possible of the objects and the remains, if any, that lay spread over an area with a radius of about 600 metres. Just after midnight on 19 March 2004, the fuselage was lifted to the surface. The DC-3 was then transported directly to the Muskö Base in the Stockholm archipelago.
The traces tell the truth
At the Muskö Base, the investigation of the crash was conducted as the Armed Forces had requested when the decision to salvage the DC-3 was made. The purpose was to clarify what had happened from the start of the flight to the crash.
The investigation concluded that this was a total wreck. The primary cause was deemed to be the shooting by the Soviet MiG plane. A hit to, or near, the oil tank of the left engine caused a powerful fire. Most likely, the pilot had dived quickly in order to avoid the shooting, or to make an emergency landing at sea. This attempt failed. The plane was shot down over international water, a violation of international agreements. The motive for the attack is still unknown. One unanswered question is whether or not there were any parachutists.
Found and missing
The most important objective of the salvage operation was to find and identify the members of the crew. Forensically, this presented an enormous challenge. There were few experiences of similar events, and the long period under water could make identification very difficult. However, the cold, dark, and oxygen-poor environment proved to be a help. Through extensive investigations and DNA technology, four of the crew were able to be identified. Despite great efforts to find them, the other four crewmen are still missing.
Preserved for the future
At the same time the investigation of the crash began, so did the fight for preservation. Time was running out for the wreckage of the plane and the objects salvaged. Certain material was in poor condition, while other material was virtually untouched. The goal was to preserve, leaving as few traces of the work as possible, rather than to restore the appearance of the plane.
The work has been complicated. The salvaged DC-3 is a unique object. This is the first time that any such modern object that has been at the bottom of the sea for more than 50 years was made into a museum artefact. The objects that have been preserved are those with the greatest historical value, and which convey the most information.
The wreckage and the objects are now in climate-controlled cases in order to avoid the effect of their surroundings, but the result of this conservation cannot be predicted. The objective of the Swedish Air Force Museum is to preserve the DC-3 for 50 years. If all goes according to plan, we will have succeeded in slowing down or stopping the deterioration.
From the Baltic Sea to Malmen
After the DC-3 had been salvaged, the plane was moved to Muskö. After an extensive investigation of the crash and preservation work, the sensitive cargo was by barge to Norrköping harbour. There, the DC-3 was loaded onto trucks for the last part of its journey to Linköping and Malmen. After interim storage, the plane was placed in its final location at the Swedish Air Force Museum on 13 May 2009.