Rescue Plane Arrives for Doc

P U N T A  A R E N A S, Chile, April 24 -- A small propeller plane fitted withskis landed safely tonight at the South Pole, completing thefirst part of a dangerous mission to rescue an ailing Americandoctor.

Flying through the pitch black of the polar winter, theeight-seat Twin Otter concluded its 10-hour flight from Rotherabase on the Antarctic peninsula across from Chile to AmundsenScott-South Pole station at 8:02 p.m. EDT.

"They landed safely and without any problems" said ValerieCarroll, a spokeswoman for U.S.-based Raytheon Polar Services.

She said that the plane's crew would remain at the pole for 10hours to rest, refuel and assess Dr. Ronald S. Shemenski'scondition. They were expected to fly out early Wednesday morning.

Even though the howling winds and blinding snow had eased,temperatures at the South Pole dipped to minus 76 degrees, or 119degrees below zero with wind chill. Forecasters said thatvisibility had improved to five miles with gusting winds andblowing snow.

Busy Day in Rescue Attempts

It was the second dramatic rescue attempt in 24 hours. Earliertoday, a New Zealand air force plane successfully evacuated 11American staffers from a research station on the other side of thefrozen continent.

Flights to the South Pole are normally halted from late Februaryuntil November because of the extreme cold and darkness. But healthemergencies at the isolated, frigid Antarctic outposts forcedrescuers in both operations to make the dangerous flights.

The plane departed from Rothera at 10:34 a.m. EDT to retrieveShemenski.

The Twin Otter and a companion plane had arrived at Rothera fromPunta Arenas late last week. Blowing snow and low visibilitypostponed the flight by two days, but clear skies and improvedconditions at the pole allowed the departure today, Carroll said.

Doctor's Potentially Life-Threatening Illness

The only physician among 50 researchers working at the polarstation, the 59-year-old Shemenski recently suffered a gall bladderattack and has been diagnosed with the potentially life-threateningcondition known as pancreatitis.