American Flown to New Zealand Hospital in a Rare Midwinter Antarctic Rescue

An Australian flight crew rescued an American from a research base in Antarctica on July 31, flying the person to a hospital in Christchurch, New Zealand. The mission was rare because it took place in the middle of the Antarctic winter, when temperatures drop dangerously low and there is almost no sunlight. The crew flew a special long-range jet called Snowbird 1 from the Australian city of Hobart to the U.S. McMurdo Station in Antarctica after receiving an urgent call for help. The patient arrived at Christchurch Hospital in serious condition, according to the U.S. National Science Foundation.

The flight to Antarctica took five and a half hours. When Snowbird 1 landed at Phoenix Airfield near McMurdo Station, it was completely dark and the temperature had dropped to minus 43 degrees Celsius, which is minus 45 degrees Fahrenheit. That is far colder than most freezers and cold enough to be dangerous for both people and aircraft. The crew had to work quickly because weather conditions at the airstrip were getting worse.

The mission's copilot, Louise Robertson, said the flight pushed the aircraft close to its limits. She described minus 43 Celsius as the coldest temperature she had ever felt, and strong wind-chill made it feel even colder on the ground. Robertson said the team had planned to fly to McMurdo a day earlier, but a snowstorm forced them to cancel. Once the storm passed, they had only a very short window of time to make the rescue work.

Robertson noted that flying to Antarctica in complete darkness at such extreme cold temperatures had likely never been done before. 'To get there in complete darkness in these extreme cold temperatures is very, very rare. I believe it hasn't been done before,' she said. The crew's ability to complete the mission under those conditions impressed aviation experts and Antarctic program leaders alike.

The company that owns Snowbird 1, called Skytraders, works under contract with the Australian Antarctic Division, or AAD. The head of the AAD, Emma Campbell, praised the crew and the teamwork behind the rescue. 'This was a complex operation carried out in the depths of the Antarctic winter, and it highlights both the capability of our people and the strong partnerships that underpin Antarctic programs around the world,' Campbell said. Her words pointed to how much international cooperation goes into keeping researchers in Antarctica safe.

Antarctica goes without sunlight for about six months each year because the sun sets in late March and does not rise again until late September. McMurdo Station sits on the Ross Ice Shelf and shares its airstrip with New Zealand's nearby Scott Base. This long period of darkness makes any winter rescue mission extremely difficult. It also means that the crew of Snowbird 1 had very few chances to attempt the flight safely.

This was not the first time someone had to be flown out of McMurdo for medical reasons. In April, the New Zealand Air Force used a C-130 Hercules transport plane to evacuate a New Zealand citizen working on the U.S. Antarctic Program. In August of last year, the same type of aircraft flew three people out of McMurdo for medical treatment. Those missions also faced tough conditions, though they happened in autumn rather than the deep of winter. New Zealand's Health Ministry did not share any updates on the American patient's condition.