The centre fuselage and wings of the Ki-54 came up in one piece. The nose section broke off, but was also successfully raised, relatively intact.

Sixty-nine years after it ditched during a training flight, a Tachikawa Ki-54a “Hickory” was salvaged from Lake Towada, 330 miles north of Tokyo. The twin- engine machine, one of only two complete survivors, was raised from a depth of 1,000ft by volunteers from the Aviation Association of Aomori Prefecture, and has now been moved to the Misawa Aviation and Science Museum pending restoration.

Discovered during a topographical survey conducted by the Windy Network Oceanic Information and Research Division and the University of Tokyo (see News, April 2012 Aeroplane) the machine, c/n 5541, encountered engine trouble on September 27, 1943 during a flight from Noshiro to Hachinohe. The aircraft belonged to the 38th Sentai. Of the four on board, only one survived.