An American national was transported from the U.S. McMurdo Station in Antarctica to a hospital in Christchurch, New Zealand, in a rare midwinter medical evacuation mission. The complex operation, undertaken on July 31, involved an Australian air crew flying an Airbus A319 Long Range aircraft.
The flight originated from Hobart, Australia, responding to an urgent request for assistance. The aircraft, with the call sign Snowbird 1, landed at the Phoenix Airfield near McMurdo Station in darkness and temperatures as low as minus 45.4 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 43 Celsius). Skytraders, the aircraft's owner and a contractor for the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD), stated that the mission was near the limits of the aircraft's capabilities due to the extreme cold and minimal light conditions.
Copilot Louise Robertson described the conditions as "pretty much pitch blackness" and noted the significant wind chill. Plans for an earlier flight were aborted due to a snowstorm, highlighting the narrow window of opportunity for the mission.
The American patient was flown to Christchurch, New Zealand, on the same day the rescue mission was conducted, as Antarctic weather conditions deteriorated. The U.S. National Science Foundation confirmed to the Australian Broadcasting Corp. that the individual was admitted to Christchurch Hospital in a "serious condition." The AAD stated on Friday that the patient was continuing to receive medical treatment.
This midwinter rescue is considered rare, as the sun has set at the geographic South Pole and will not rise until September 21. Such operations underscore the cooperative nature of Antarctic programs. In April, the New Zealand Air Force conducted a medical evacuation of a New Zealand citizen from the same airfield during the Southern Hemisphere autumn. In August of the previous year, New Zealand used a similar aircraft to evacuate three individuals from McMurdo Station for medical treatment.