About a week after the previous poster had assumed the death by freezing of the Basler, a team of a half dozen or so extraordinarily talented engineers travelled to the site by twin otter, with tin to bash, and a zillion rivets.
Working in trenches under the frame in a scene reminiscent of the first world war, but with cold and a near constant wind to add to the misery.
Nearby, the remains of Admiral Byrd's trimotor lie encased in the ice, with a small bit of frame, and one copper-bottomed ski protruding from the grave.
http://byrdexpedition.org/ A herc taxied into a crevasse 50 miles away, and spent a very long time awaiting rescue.
Gear re-attached, new engines and props along with lots of tin-bashing in a truly wretched work locale, and limited everything made it a challenge. Particularly difficult was the truly relentless wind, which packed snow with the consistency of styrofoam into everything.
Removing it called for a chainsaw to cut it into blocks, the a half dozen people to break the blocks out, and pile it into a sledge and drag it away. Picture an area the volume of your living room being dug every day, and then waking up to discover it filled in again.
Twenty nine days later the aircraft taxied out of the pit it had been entombed in. A month to the day, the aircraft took off for Rothera, the Brit station on the peninsula. It was for us one of God's truly good days.
Three days later, after waiting for weather to cross the Drake, it left the continent. Safe to say, the pisco sours never tasted so good.
Currently, it is in Punta Arenas awaiting delivery of a radio. We expect it back the end of the week.
http://www.aipchile.cl and then click on: CAMARAS , THENCE Punta Arenas- Este