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Travel Log: December 18th, 1997
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Picture of the Day
Janice and other passengers
play in the snow after their
emergency landing.
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DECEMBER 18th, 1997
Janice enjoyed an especially adventurous trip to McMurdo
Station this morning.
Near the end of her flight from the South Pole to McMurdo Station
there was a "white out" due to fog surrounding the
airport at McMurdo. The pilots executed an emergency landing
in a nearby field. No damage was done to the plane and no passengers were
injured. After the landing the passengers debarked and played in the
snow for two hours while waiting for the rescue team to arrive. The
tale is recounted in Janice's own words below. Randy is still at the South
Pole for at least another two days.
See also Travel Tales below!
Date: 18 Dec 97
Location: McMurdo Station
Weather: white out conditions
Temperature: -1oC
Wind Chill: -20oC
Wind Speed: 30 mph
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Dec 18th Travel Tales
Janice VanCleave:
I am at McMurdo station, which is on the coast of Antarctica (New
Zealand side).
My flight to McMurdo was not the norm. While few things seem normal
here, this was bizarre. The flight from the Pole was routine until we
neared McMurdo. The air base near McMurdo, called Willy Field, was
having a white out (so foggy that visibility is near zero). All other air
bases in the area were also having a white out. We did not have enough
fuel to return to the Pole so our only option was to make an emergency
landing in an area as near Willy Field as possible. It wasn't an unknown
area and the crew had practiced making this type of landing in this area,
but this was the first time they had actually done it for real. The 6
passengers on the plane, including myself, knew that we were landing away
from the air field, but it wasn't clear that it was considered an
emergency landing. Since the pilots and navigator could not see the
ground, they landed the plane using instruments only. The navigator said
that because of the density of the snow, his instruments said the plane
was 10 feet off the ground when it actually touched down. I've had worse
landings in commercial aircraft. It was not until we touched down that
our situation became clear. The pilot tried to taxi us to the air base,
but the snow was so new that it was too soft for the heavy plane to move
through. We got stuck in the snow. But we were informed immediately that
there was nothing to be concerned about, an emergency search and rescue
team was on its way. With the use of a GPS, an instrument used to
identify one's location
our position was known. The vehicle used to come our rescue is
called a Haglund. It has tracks like a tank. It took 2 hours for the
emergency crew to arrive. During that time we played in the snow and
generally had a good time. Some of the crew used shovels to dig the snow
away from skis so the plane could taxi back after the fog lifted. The
flight had been 3 1/2 hours and now there would be a 2 hour wait plus
another 2 hours before reaching McMurdo. While there was no problem with
the men urinating outside, it was a bit of a problem for me, the only
woman on the plane. The crew was most accomodating and prepared the
toilet that was available on the plane. The only problem is that cargo
blocked the passage way from the passener end of the plane. The only
entrance was throught the back door of the plane and there were no
stairs. To get into this door, one crewman on the ground put his hands
together and made a step and another crewman inside the plane caught my
hand and pulled me up. Between the two, I was lifted and pulled into the
plane. I ended up sitting on the floor and with all the cargo and
machinery on the floor it was difficult to get on my feet. Now the
problem was to climb over the cargo to the toilet. I tried taking one
boot off so that I was more agile, but the floor was too cold. The bottom
line is that one can figure out a way when the need is great enough. With
the potty problem solved, I now had to figure a way of getting out of the
plane. By sitting down I was able to jump out of the plane with the
support of a crewman. I am here to say that the crew on this air craft
was not only skilled in their job, but very courteous to all of us.
The polar gear that we had on made us warm enough to enjoy playing in the
snow. I was colder during the flight than on the ground. While the
clothing keeps me warm, the boots make me clumsier than usual. I fell
twice inside the plane. I took a swan dive as I entered the plane. The
toe of my boot caught on a cargo rail and down I went. The floor has many
cargo rails to move heavy cargo on. Thankfully no one was on the plane to
see me spread across the floor. One would think doing that once would be
lesson enough, but a second fall certainly made me more cautious about
moving around inside the plane. I am a bit bruised and have a few sore
spots, but no permanent damage was done.
Yea!! The emergency search and rescue team arrived and off we went.
Riding in the Haglund was not very comfortable, but it was our safe ride
home. We started our journey at 11:30 pm on Dec. 17 and now it was 6:00
am. Dec. 18. I was so tired that being cramped with 12 others in the
vehicle and the bumpy ride did not stopped me from going to sleep. Upon
arrival at Willy Base, we boarded a van for another ride of about 45 min.
At last we arrived at McMurdo and I was shocked at how warm -01 degrees
Celcius (30 degrees F) felt having just come from the sub zero
temperatures at the Pole.
My flight to Christchurch originally was to be Friday, Dec. 19, but that
has been cancelled. I am now scheduled to leave Sat. Dec. 20. I've
learned that things can change at a moments notice here. Weather is
always a factor. The weather along the coast of Antarctica is always
unpredictable. Hopefully it will be great and I can get on to
Christchurch on Sat. I plan to enjoy my stay here and learn as much as
possible about the station. It is very beautifly with the mountains
surrounding the area. The actual station looks like a mining town with
all the dark dirt and mud around. McMurdo is refered to as Mud Town
because the dark volcanic ash that the land is made of turns to mud in
the melting snow. The snow is very different here than at pole. It is
wetter and softer. Some of the drier snow on the frozen McMurdo Sound is
blown toward land by the wind. Being pelted by these snow particles is
like being in a dust storm. The difference being that the particles
quickly melt leaving one clean.
Sites in McMurdo include the
Greenhouse-
What an oasis in this land of ice and snow. The warmth and humidity of
the building felt comforting. It is a place where some visit to relax. It
is a small building, but a hamock is readily available for anyone that
wants to just hang out among the greenery. A radio is available for those
that require this stimulation. My personal preference was the be bathed
in the quietness of the environment. Upon enterting the building, the
first thing that I saw were vines with lush green leaves and large
voluptuous cucumbers. The plants are grown by hydroponics. A sign on the
tomatoes indicated that tobaco cases tomatoe plants to be succeptible to
Black Spot disease. Thus, people that smoke are to wash their hands
before touching the tomato plants. Wow! What a great science project this
could be. Other plants that I saw growing were, beans, peas, dill, basil,
lettuce, rubarb, jalepeno and bell peppers. The greenhouse provides the
fresh vegetables during the winter and supliments the fresh vegetable
supply when more people are at the station during the summer. The
Antarctic treaty between the various countries restricts the growth of
plants except those used for food. I did suggest that there are many
edible flowers. Maybe in the future this greenhouse will have beautiful
flowers. The yellow cucumber flowers were more beautiful that I had
ever seen.
I am in a spacious room with computers here with large windows that
look out on McMurdo Sound. Mountains are everywhere. I think all of the
mountains are volcanoes. I'll check on that. Mt Erebus is the only active
volcano on Anarctica and it is here on Ross Island where McMurdo is. I
wouldn't mind seeing a small volcanic eruption as long as everyone was
unharmded. How about a little smoke out its top. I've heard that this
happens so maybe I'll see it.
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Last modified Monday, 04-Dec-2000 16:41:40 CST
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