An Australian aviation crew conducted a medical evacuation mission to rescue a member of a US expedition from McMurdo Station in Antarctica on July 31.
The mission involved an Airbus A319 aircraft, known as Snowbird 1, which flew from Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, to McMurdo Station.
The flight to Phoenix Airfield, located near McMurdo Station, lasted five hours and 30 minutes, with the aircraft landing in total darkness.
Temperature recorded during the mission
Temperatures during the operation reached -43°C (-45.4°F). Copilot Louise Robertson stated this was the coldest she had ever felt.
The patient was flown to Christchurch, New Zealand, for medical treatment. The US National Science Foundation told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. (ABC) that the patient was admitted to Christchurch Hospital in a condition that was initially serious.
Operational challenges
Skytraders, which is contracted by the Australian Antarctic Program, had previously aborted plans to fly to the base on the Ross Ice Shelf a day earlier due to a snow storm.
Skytraders deputy chief executive Duncan Mackay said the aircraft underwent a complete refit into a specialized medevac configuration within 24 hours of the call. Mackay also believed this was the closest a civilian airliner had operated to the winter solstice on June 21.
Every Antarctic mission demands absolute precision, but winter operations raise the complexity significantly
We are right on the verge of the limitation of the aircraft
Copilot Louise Robertson said the conditions were close to the limit of the aircraft's capabilities.
At the geographic South Pole, the sun last set on March 23 and is not scheduled to rise until September 21.
