Tachikawa Ki-54 On Display At Misawa Aviation And Science Museum Was Salvaged From Lake Towada

The Japanese Aeronautic Association (JAA) has designated a non-airworthy Tachikawa Ki-54 currently on display at the Misawa Aviation and Science Museum as an Important Aviation Heritage.

The airplane is one of three known to exist, and none is airworthy. There were only 1,342 of the twin-engine trainers manufactured by the end of the war, according to a report appearing on www.asahi.com.

The plane went down in 1943 in Lake Towada while on a flight between two air bases. It sank in about 180 feet of water, and stayed on the bottom of the lake until it was salvaged four years ago. Shigezo Oyanagi, the director of the Misawa Aviation and Science Museum, said the cold, fresh water of the lake preserved the aircraft. And while it will never fly again, it is a good representation of the airplane. It has maintained most of its structure and much of its original paint, including the rising sun roundels and markings.

The JAA has designated eight other aircraft as Important Aviation Heritage.

(Public Domain image via Wikipedia)

FMI: http://www.aero.or.jp/english.html