A US expeditioner in Antarctica was rescued last month in a daring mid-winter medical evacuation by an Australian aviation team. The mission kicked off on July 28, when the Australian Antarctic Division made an urgent request for assistance for a medical evacuation from the US McMurdo Antarctic research station.
Challenging Conditions
The Australian airline, Skytraders, dispatched their Airbus A319, named Snowbird 1, which departed Australia on July 31 and reached McMurdo station more than five hours later. The crew faced extremely challenging conditions, including complete darkness and temperatures dipping to –45.5 F (-43 C).
After safely transferring the American patient onto the plane, the mission departed Antarctica ahead of deteriorating conditions and flew to Christchurch, New Zealand, where the patient was treated. No details about the patient have been provided, and Health New Zealand would not disclose information without family approval.
Crew Efforts
The crew reviewed worst-case scenarios prior to the mission, such as a power outage at the air strip requiring them to land with zero visibility, and carried extra fuel in case they couldn’t land and needed to return to Australia. The crew praised the team effort and said that the mission would not have been possible without clear and coordinated communications between several international teams.
Original reporting: El Paso News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
