An eight-seater propeller plane on a mission to rescue American Dr Ronald Shemenski, who is suffering from the potentially life-threatening condition pancreatitis, has landed safely at the South Pole.
Battling strong winds and snow, the Twin Otter plane touched down in the pitch black of the polar winter shortly after12 pm today (NZT) - ten hours after leaving Rothera base on the Antarctic peninsula to fly to the Pole.
The condition of the 59-year-old Dr Shemenski will be assessed during the crew's ten-hour stopover. They are expected to fly out at about 10 pm tonight (NZT).
Today's landing follows another Antarctic rescue mission yesterday.
An New Zealand air force plane last night successfully evacuated two "critically ill" scientists and nine of their colleagues from McMurdo Base, a research station on the opposite side of the continent to the South Pole.
The two staff members of the American National Science Foundation, were today reported to be in a stable condition in Christchurch hospital.
However, the exact nature of their illnesses remained under wraps as neither Antarctica New Zealand - the organisers of the rescue - nor the Foundation spokesperson would comment.
Several of the other researchers lifted off McMurdo required medical attention but their conditions were not considered serious.
The C130 Hercules aircraft took off from the icy runway of McMurdo's Pegasus airfield, having spent just one hour on the ground to pick up its passengers.
It kept its engines running throughout to prevent them freezing in the minus 30C temperatures.
The aircraft returned to Christchurch shortly before 9 pm last night, 15 hours after beginning the 6000 km return trip.
The commander of yesterday's mission, John Cummings, said the aircraft left an hour earlier than scheduled and thus managed to avoid worsening weather in Antarctica. "It was very fortunate that we got in there on time, and out," he said.
The pilot, Nathan McDonald, said: "The weather was a little bit iffy, but we managed a quick change down on the ice."
"It was reasonably challenging weather conditions, with not as much light as normal. There was no defined horizon and it was hard to see the ground surface," he said.
