An Australian aviation crew has completed a rare and highly challenging midwinter medical evacuation from Antarctica, rescuing a US expedition member from McMurdo Station in freezing temperatures and complete darkness.
The mission was carried out last Friday by Skytraders after the company received an urgent evacuation request through the Australian Antarctic Division and the US Antarctic Program.
Extreme conditionsThe crew flew an Airbus A319, known as Snowbird 1, from Hobart, Tasmania, to Antarctica.
The aircraft eventually landed at Phoenix Airfield in conditions that included: Temperatures as low as -43°C (-45.4°F) Total darkness Strong winds A snowstorm that had initially delayed the mission A runway made entirely from compacted Snow captain Louise Robertson, one of four pilots on the mission, said it was the most complex operation she had experienced during her seven years with Skytraders. Her husband, Captain Rod Robertson, was the pilot who landed the aircraft at the Antarctic station.
Remarkably, the flight was completed on 31 July, making it the first Skytraders mission of its kind to take place in July and be completed entirely in darkness. A race against the weather The aircraft had to be specially configured to carry the patient, with engineers and designers installing a stretcher. The preparation took around 24 hours. The flight was then delayed another 12 hours because of severe weather.
The snowstorm also prevented ground personnel from reaching the runway. Once conditions improved, workers spent about six hours grading and grooming the 3-kilometre runway so the aircraft could safely land. Despite temperatures around -45°C and strong winds, the ground crew successfully prepared the runway. The aircraft spent exactly one hour on the ground before departing with the patient for Christchurch, New Zealand, where the patient received medical treatment and was reported to be recovering well.
A highly specialised operation Captain Al Wallach, another pilot involved in the mission, said the operation required close coordination between pilots, meteorologists, medical personnel, operational planners and runway teams. He described the conditions as being at the limits of the aircraft’s specialised capabilities.
The Australian Antarctic Division said the mission demonstrated the expertise of Australia’s Antarctic teams and the international cooperation supporting scientific and expedition programmes in the region. Skytraders previously carried out a similar medical evacuation from McMurdo Station in March 2020, although temperatures at the time were considerably warmer at around -30°C.
