A new Canadian short film, Lost in the Muskeg: The Plane Canada Forgot, examines the disappearance and rediscovery of a U.S. Navy Beechcraft Expeditor that went down in 1948 during a flight from Churchill, Manitoba, to The Pas. Directed by Saskatoon-based filmmaker Scott Woroniuk of Crosscut Films, the 14-minute documentary recounts Operation Attaché, the joint search effort that followed the aircraft’s disappearance and the survival of all five personnel aboard. The film presents newly confirmed details linking U.S. Navy and Royal Canadian Air Force records to the wreck’s location, documented for the first time in nearly eight decades.
The Beechcraft’s 1948 emergency landing in northern Saskatchewan prompted what was then the largest coordinated air search in Canadian history. Over twelve days, RCAF Lancasters, Cansos and Dakotas covered 100,000 square miles of terrain while bush pilots, trappers, and northern residents assisted from the ground. The crew, including U.S. Navy and Royal Navy officers, endured harsh conditions before an RCAF Canso crew located them and transported them to safety. The aircraft was later destroyed on site, and its position was not formally recorded again until 2025, when Woroniuk and researchers Les Oystryk, Doug Chisholm, and David Riach identified the wreck using archival maps, satellite imagery, and field observations.
“Operation Attaché is a forgotten U.S. Navy survival story set on Canadian soil,” Woroniuk said. “This rediscovery closes a gap between two nations’ aviation histories.”
The aircraft remains in the muskeg south of High Rock Lake, its condition consistent with long-term exposure. Lost in the Muskeg documents the collaborative research that reestablished the site’s location and renewed attention to a joint rescue operation conducted more than seventy years ago.
An excellent historical retelling of a fascinating and record-breaking search! The fact that all were rescued always adds positive value to the story. Thank you for putting this together.