Recovering Il-2 Kulonga: 75 Years in Silt — Sealed Cockpit Twist

Описание: #Il2Kulonga #AviationHistory #PlaneCrash #AircraftRecovery #LiftBags
Il-2 Kulonga is a WWII aircraft recovery that begins with a gut-check: archives say the pilot survived, yet the first survey shows a closed canopy that looks like a war grave. On August 9, 2018, the Winged Victory Memory Foundation marked a grid on Lake Kulonga in Russia’s Murmansk region, hunting one documented Northern Fleet Air Force loss from August 22, 1943—an Il-2 single-seater hit by anti-aircraft fire after a strike on Luostari airfield.

Divers locate Il-2 Kulonga upright in silt at roughly 10–11 meters. The armored tub and metal wing structure are clearly intact—but the cockpit hood is pulled shut. In underwater aviation archaeology, that sealed cockpit is an instant “stop point.” The camera pushes in and confirms the twist: the cockpit is empty. No remains. The canopy likely slid shut during descent or bottom impact, matching the survival record of pilot A. I. Kalichev.

With the site cleared for wreckage recovery, the real fight is engineering. The wooden rear fuselage has vanished after decades underwater, leaving the tail detached and the airframe without a continuous spine. Il-2 Kulonga must be salvaged in a controlled, component-based lift using lift bags, verified hard points, and slow towing to shore. A tire-lined timber skid then protects fragile skins across a rocky shelf—before transport to Novosibirsk for restoration planning. Il-2 Kulonga isn’t just found—it’s raised.

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Disclaimer
Educational/history content. Do not dive or disturb wrecks without permits, qualified training, and respect for protected sites and war graves.