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Kiwi FM's Antarctic flight makes dramatic landing

Xinhua, January 29, 2015 Adjust font size:

A New Zealand air force plane carrying Foreign Minister Murray McCully and researchers from New Zealand and the United States was forced to land almost blind in bad weather in Antarctica after passing the point of no return, according to an official investigation report out Thursday.

The Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) said the Boeing 757 left Christchurch for Pegasus Field aerodrome in Antarctica on Oct. 7, 2013, with 113 passengers and 13 crew aboard.

The aircraft did not have sufficient fuel capacity to complete the return trip without refuelling at Pegasus Field and a point of safe return had been pre-calculated if the weather conditions proved unfavorable.

United States Navy weather observers at Pegasus Field noted a fog bank about 5 km from the runway, but assured the air crew that the weather was forecast to improve, said the report, so the crew decided to continue past the point of safe return.

About 20 minutes later, they received the first of several weather observations that conditions had deteriorated and that a fog bank had enveloped the runway and its approaches.

The crew made an attempt to land at Pegasus Field, but the restricted visibility prevented them seeing the runway markings and lights, so they circled for two hours and made another aborted attempt at landing.

"With dwindling fuel reserves and conditions deteriorating the crew elected to make a third attempt at landing," said the report.

About 30 meters above the runway, the crew saw the runway approach lights and markings and made "a successful landing in near-whiteout conditions."

There was no damage to the aeroplane and no-one was injured.

The New Zealand Defence Force welcomed the TAIC recommendations that it review risk assessments for such flights to Antarctica and it would comply, Chief of Air Force Air Vice-Marshal Mike Yardley said in a statement.

McCully told Fairfax Media that the situation was "potentially very dangerous" and said the atmosphere on board the plane had been grim.

Each year the New Zealand air Force carries out about 11 flights to support logistics and research work in Antarctica. Endi