The expedition of the Russian Geography Association and the Russian Defense Department's exploration center to study the US waterfall in the war of the US military against Japan, the fourth season operated in Kamchatka. During the search process in 2023, another aircraft was discovered at the bottom of the vitamin lake, it turned out to be lending loans R-63 “Kingkobra” fighter jetThe victim fell in October 1945.
Kingkobra was massively provided to the Soviet United States from the United States along the Alaska -Siberian highway, since 1944 2,333 aircraft have been transferred.
In Russia, there are only three models of this battle vehicle preserved, they are displayed in Moscow, in Monino near Moscow and in Vermhnyaya Pyshma. But all these exhibitions are museums, none of them will take off – not enough details and authentication mechanisms. And at the bottom of Kamchatka Lake, for 80 years, although a plane was broken but complete in 80 years. Participants in the expedition of the RGO and the Ministry of Defense were not out of hope that in the near future, this fighting car could be put into the wing. Meanwhile, the mission of the expedition is to lift the aircraft and transport it to recover, if you are lucky to find the rest of the pilot – to place the land with the appropriate title.
On the edge of the earth
To say that the vitamin lake, where the fragments of the Soviet production fighter have been discovered, unable to access this place is not to say anything. In 250 km around only volcanoes, mountains, rivers and swamps. There is no road or communication – lost and disappeared. Not to mention the impressive concentration of brown bears – in the territory of the Kamchatka Federal Reserve, where more than a thousand lakes.
The explorer started from the Elizovo military airport. To the destination, one and a half of the flight on Mi-8 helicopter. We were very lucky: On the night before going to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the last flight weather was established, before the low vision for weeks did not allow adventurers in this field.
Panoramic spread from the window is great. Endless Pacific Oceans, majestic volcanoes, peaks and mountains are replaced by low -rise terrain, along with swampy snakes. And the soul, nor is it a suggestion about the presence of people in these protected places.
But on the shore of a small lake surrounded by mountain ranges, eyes grabbed the three white yurts – explorer. The original housing was based on the Mongolian yurt, but on a modern metal frame, designed for RGO and was tested with Kamchatka weather that could change. And on the surface of the water, five hundred meters from the coast, Ponton can see – the divers of the Russian submarine exploration are working from it.
At the helicopter, we are met by the State Reserve Inspectorate with a short meeting: No go anywhere without escorting, only eating food in the camp, in no case, there is no throw away where you have to rest. The curious brown beast was seen on the shore.
We will get acquainted with the residents of the camp. The best of the best job here. An extremely difficult, both technical and logistics, searching for high -class experts. Only the coordination of Russian RGO experts, the pilots of the Ministry of Defense, the historians of the modern historical center and the divers of the Russian water exploration will allow you to deal with a difficult task. However, unconditional heroes of the day are divers. During two working days at the facility, divers managed to install floats on all the large pieces of the Cobra royal family, disconnect the tail, fix it with ropes and lift it into shallow water. Now it is necessary to gently extract it from water by helicopter.
Roman Dunaev, head of the Russian submarine exploration, admitted that this “royal Cobra” was discovered by a happy opportunity. This is a very interesting story. In 2023, we had to check the Derzhavavavoy lake, which was said to be a plane crash. But for technical reasons, our helicopter could not sit on this lake and so we decided to land in the order of vitamin, Roman. No one will find any plane here, and so I asked the head in 40-50 minutes-at least look at the general plan of these lakes may have an idea of the depth, temperature of the water and the bottom of this lake, because I have thoroughly drawn. Most likely, they are also in the lake.
During that field season, divers managed to detect and increase number plates, allowing the start of research in the central archive of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. Sergei Katkov, the head of the scientific and searched work of the modern historical center, discovered the name of the aircraft pilot – he turned out to be the original Bakhchisarai district of the Soviet Socialist Republic of the Soviet Soviet Union Crimean Zinedin Abibulovich Mustafaev, as well as the situation of a flight.
Everything is ready to lift the cobra royal hair. We went by boat to the opposite shore – they promised to evaluate the best there. Not without excitement, we observed a difficult and dangerous activity: Diver Alexander Zarutsky, the waist standing in the water and the wind of the dust, which the helicopter hangs in the air, trying to attach goods to the cable car from the external suspension system. The helicopter is traveling around for a long time, at risk of hitting divers with carbine. But now, divers commands the pilots … and the tail of the “cobra” flew into the sky, like 80 years ago!
We met Alexander as a hero. Acknowledging that he was very worried: the string, the cable was unified, I thought it couldn't stand. The pilot cannot be targeted for a long time: the cable must be lowered to ten meters. Skeleton.
On the shore they cried near the antiques. Sergei Katkov cannot hide his joy – the figures of the number on the board can be visible on the tail and they coincide with the storage data. So everything is not useless. “Now we know for sure that this is the same plane. You see, on American plane and especially, on the P -63 Kingkobra aircraft, the factory number has been applied on the tail. The number 414 can be visible here.
What is known about Soviet pilots? He is from Crimean Tatars, born in October 1919, meaning that before his 26th birthday, he did not live in the literal sense for two weeks, Serge said. He is really educated for his time. Born in the village, in a large Tatar family, he graduated from a ten – -y school in Serpukhov near Moscow. He studied at Osoaviahim and then and then graduated from the military school.
Defense Ministry's archives show that during the Kuril's attack campaign, Mustafaev covered the airport in Kamchatka and simultaneously owned the new R-63 Kingkobra aircraft for three days, he was awarded the “courage” medal.
From the characteristics of the pilot, it is clear that he likes to perform the complex characters of the highest rhythm gymnastics beyond the scope of compulsory training. In such a training flight, a disaster happened. On October 16, 1945, at about 9 am, Lieutenant Mustafaev on the “Kingkobra” R-63 plane performed pilot techniques. After performing the exercises at an altitude of 3000-3500 meters, the pilot arbitrarily performed a sports exercise with a coup on the back, then the plane fell down a cork. At an altitude of about 1,500 meters, he removed the plane out of a cork with vertical diving. Here, in the area of the mountainside, a wild peak, he saw the mountains, strong on the left and then entered the vertical diving trip, from which he went out at an altitude of 300-400 meters and then disappeared into the clouds. He was wanted for two days, and on October 18, a juice radiator, two cylinders of oxygen and pilot gloves were found in vitamin lake.
The committee, investigating the flight incident, came to the conclusion that Mustafaev probably lost consciousness because of high overload. The body is not found on the surface of the lake. It is believed that the pilot was still in the cabin of the aircraft on the bottom of the lake, but divers could not find the rest of Mustafaev in the cockpit, without an umbrella system. Therefore, perhaps, the pilot managed to push out, but fell into the water and drowned. To confirm or reject this version, you will have to check the lake again.
Anatoly Kaleberg's expedition emphasized: Last season, due to weather conditions, we could not give up the vitamin lake. The very symbolic thing is that this year, in the 80th anniversary of World War II, we went to the submarine exploration, I hope we will resolve the plane at Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.
And Yuri Kostkin, a technical expert on winged victory memories, persuaded – the car can and should be put into the wing. This is the main dream, climbing Yuri Ivanovich. This aircraft is comprehensive, preserved that it has to fly. It has to fly, because we don't have such a plane in our country. And this dream is being fulfilled. Workers, can be replaced.
The explorer of the Russian Geography Association and the Russian Defense Department's exploration center will last until September 12.
