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From the National Science Foundation
A complicated international air operation coordinated
by the U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP) , which is managed
by the National Science Foundation (NSF) , has successfully
evacuated a badly injured employee of the Australian Antarctic
Division (AAD) from Antarctica to a hospital in Hobart,
Tasmania.
The patient arrived in Tasmania just before midnight
local time on Nov. 5, after a roughly 10-hour flight from
Australia’s Davis Station . The patient suffered
multiple fractures during an all-terrain vehicle accident
on Oct. 20, while on a field trip at Trajer Ridge, around
25 kilometers from Davis Station, where he had spent almost
the past 12 months as the station's chef.
A ski-equipped LC-130 Hercules transport plane left McMurdo
Station , NSF’s logistic hub in Antarctica, on Nov.
5 (local time; USAP stations keep New Zealand time), for
a 2,400-kilometer flight to Davis Station, on the Antarctic
coast. Bad weather, typical for spring on the southernmost
continent, had forestalled the evacuation flight more
than once.
The turbo-prop Hercules picked up the injured person,
who Australian authorities described as in “serious
but stable” condition, for the flight to Tasmania.
The “Herc” was flown by the 109th Airlift Wing
of the New York Air National Guard , based at Stratton
Air National Guard Base in New York State. It is assigned
to the U.S. Air Force’s 13th Air Expeditionary Group.
A combined U.S. and Australian medical team was on board
the aircraft to assist in the evacuation. The team consisted
of an Australian doctor and nurse; a Joint Medical Attendant
Transport Team consisting of three U.S. Army medical personnel
from Tripler Army Medical Center , Hawaii; and three U.S.
Air Force medical personnel.
The medical team, along with aircrew members and an aircraft
maintenance team, spent the night at Davis Station in
order to rest, allow the aircraft to re-fuel and to help
prepare the patient before beginning the flight to Hobart.
The aircraft landed on a temporary runway at Davis that
had been prepared by station personnel over the past week.
The sea-ice runway is 3,000 meters long on ice 1.8 meters
thick. Certifying that the runway was capable of safely
handling the aircraft – which weighs roughly 68,000
kilograms fully fueled – required extensive collaboration
among NSF, the U.S. Air Force and AAD.
The landing at Davis Station was a first for the Guard.
The successful operation was a tribute to their skills
and to those who made sure that the unusual landing could
be made safely, said Karl A. Erb, who heads the USAP.
“I commend the aircrew and all the personnel, both
military and civilian, who ensured this safe and successful
flight under these difficult and unfamiliar conditions,”
he added.
After careful consideration of the options for safeguarding
the patient’s health, AAD had formally requested
assistance from the USAP in October.
Erb noted that while the medical mission was possibly
unique in the history of exploration of Antarctica due
to the many unknowns involved, the cooperation among nations
who maintain a scientific presence there was not.
“We … recognize that even in the days of routine
flights and the ability to supply most of life’s
creature comforts at the bottom of the world, that prying
scientific secrets from this beautiful but hazardous place
is not without risk,” he said. “Each national
program stands ready to help any other whenever possible
in cases like this. I speak for all of us in the U.S.
Antarctic Program when I say that we are glad to be able
to make a contribution, both to the individual’s
safety, and to the collective good.”
Tony Press, AAD director, said he was very grateful for
the support provided by NSF.
“It has enabled a quicker and more stable evacuation
option than Australia’s research and resupply ship
Aurora Australis , which has now reached Davis after being
diverted from Casey station soon after the incident occurred,”
he said. “The ship’s progress to Davis over
the past week has been slowed by bad weather and heavy
sea-ice, so today’s air evacuation is a very welcome
and much speedier option.
“It’s a tribute to our excellent relationship
with the U.S. Antarctic Program and a fantastic example
of the collaboration that typifies Antarctic operations.”
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