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Antarctica Helicopter Pilots Jennifer and Colin rescued
09:34 a.m. EST Dec 21, 2003
Jennifer Murray and Colin Bodill are presently in hospital in Punta Arenas. Colin sustained internal injuries "typical of those received in high-impact crashes" reports the crews home team. Colin is lucid, conscious and stable. Jennifer has dislocated an elbow.
The rescue took a fast 17-hours from the site where they crashed in Antarctica to the mainland South America. Last Wednesday, Jennifer and Colin arrived at the South Pole.
They were well on their way back from the South Pole, close to the edge of Antarctica, when the accident happened. The helicopter crashed 120 miles north of Patriot Hills on the northern section of the Ronne Ice Shelf, at 1.00am UK time (10.00pm local) Saturday morning. Despite his injuries, Colin got Jennifer out of the helicopter following the accident and put her into a sleeping bag in the bitter cold. He then erected a tent for shelter and lit a stove for warmth before collapsing because of his injuries.
The pilots used the helicopter's on-board flight-tracking equipment and a satellite phone to alert the rescue team at Patriot Hills to their plight. They were picked up in a Twin Otter aircraft around 2 am local and taken back to the team's Patriot Hills base camp where they arrived a few hours later. Meanwhile, an Iljhusin was summoned to the Antarctica continent from Punta Arenas in Chile. This plane touched down on the Patriot Hills "blue ice" landing strip at 09.49am local, turned round within an hour and landed back in Punta Arenas at 14.50 local (17.50 hours Saturday night UK time). Both pilots were taken straight to hospital.
Latest reports indicate that Jennifer's husband, Simon Murray, presently is continuing his bid for the South Pole. Last Saturday, Jennifer met with her husband Simon Murray, on the ice. Pen Hadow and Simon Murray were a little bit past the 81st degree skiing their way unsupported to the South Pole when Jennifer landed just beside them. “I was very tempted to hop into the helicopter with Jennifer as she was about to leave", Simon then said.
No reports yet on what caused the crash. The Antarctica weather is very challenging to aircraft due to extreme cold, very high winds and whiteout conditions. The good news are that the chopper crashed over land, and not over the open water between Antarctica and South America.
Jennifer and Colin arrived at the South Pole last Wednesday in their Bell 407 helicopter, on the 100th anniversary of the first powered flight by the Wright brothers. The Polar First Challenge 2003 lifted off from New York on October 22nd, 2003. Its aim was to break the pole to pole record and raise awareness and funds for the conservation organization WWF. Jennifer Murray, who set the world record for the fastest female solo helicopter flight around the world in 2000, together with co-pilot Colin Bodill, planned to make over 160 stops on the journey to highlight the work of the WWF, flying scientists to key conservation sites, undertaking mapping and zoning of uncharted territory, tracking illegal destruction of natural resources and following endangered species.
Image of the pilots just before the expeditions start from New York City earlier this autumn, ExplorersWeb files.
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