Experts have now managed to uncover large parts of the crashed American C-53 Skytrooper, after sweltering temperatures caused the Gauli glacier in the Bernese Alps to melt, exposing wings, propellers and several other parts of the plane.
The crash site is now a sea of debris, according to aviation experts, who say that hangers, tin cans and spoons used by passengers have now been exposed due to melting glaciers.
Footprints from the Swiss Air Force, which led the plane’s rescue mission in 1946, were also discovered at the crash site, said aviation expert Peter Brotschi.
The RAF plane, known as Dakota, was flying from Tulln, Austria to Pisa, Italy, on November 18, 1946, when adverse weather conditions forced pilots to take an alternative route to Munich, Strasbourg and then thorough Marseille towards Italy.
However, a massive snowstorm and high winds caused the plane to crash land on the Gauli Glacier in the Bernese Alps, sending all eight passengers and four crew members plummeting downwards at a height of 10,990ft.
Five days later, the Swiss Army located the missing plane, saving all 12 passengers at the crash site through a series of daring snow landings on the glacier.
However, it is unclear if the plane will be completely recovered from the crash site.
Archaeologist Adriano Boschetti, who works for the Canton of Bern, said Americans are now interested in the recovered objects from the crash site.
A local resident, who lives in mountain hut near the crash site, has been assigned to ensure all the plane debris remains untouched.
The resident said: “The wreck is a great folk tale. We have many visitors coming to us solely for the sake of the Dakota.”
By 2050, Swiss scientists predict that all glaciers in the Alps will cease to exist.