Rescue Plane Arrives for Doc

P U N T A  A R E N A S, Chile, April 24, 2001 -- 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.

A registered nurse at the South Pole helped take ultrasoundimages that were sent back to doctors in the United States fordiagnosis. Pancreatitis is the inflammation of the pancreas and canhappen when a gallstone passes down the bile duct, irritating thegland.

Dr. Gerald Katz, Shemenski's physician, said Shemenski needssurgery and that authorities wanted to evacuate him before harsherwinter weather set it, making a future rescue impossible.

"There's no doubt that the proper treatment for him is notavailable at the South Pole," Katz said in a telephone interviewfrom Englewood, Colo. "In this case, most people would haveconsidered treatment within three weeks after the condition wasdiagnosed."

The rescue team included two pilots, an engineer, a nurse and areplacement physician for the polar station. The plane arrived indarkness with bone-chilling cold, a sheet of ice as a runway and notower to guide the landing. Barrels of flaming debris were to beset up to light the runway.

Rescued Physician Reflects

A successful rescue would mark the second time in two years thata doctor has been plucked from the pole in a medical emergency. InOctober 1999, Dr. Jerri Nielsen — then the only physician at theAmundsen Scott-South Pole Station — was evacuated after shediscovered a breast tumor that was diagnosed as cancerous.

Reached in North Carolina, Nielsen said her wait for theevacuation was very difficult. "You wonder, "Will it be tomorrow?Will it be the next day?"

She said she knew what Shemenski was going through.

"I think he must have a lot of mixed feelings. I know I had alot of mixed feelings. He probably doesn't want to leave them, butat the same time he knows he's ill. I'm sure he's also concernedabout the people who are risking their lives to rescue him," shesaid.

Evacuation at McMurdo

On the opposite coast from the Rothera base, rescuers were alsoforced to move quickly to evacuate four ill Americans at McMurdoAntarctic Base.

In a 15-hour round-trip journey from Christchurch, New Zealand,a C130 Hercules landed on McMurdo's ice runway, spending just onehour on the ground to pick up the evacuees and refuel. Engines werekept running to prevent them freezing in the air, which was 22degrees below zero. "The weather was a little bit iffy … but wemanaged a quick change down on the ice," pilot Nathan McDonald.

The sick Americans were joined on the flight by seven other U.S.staffers, who authorities said were returning because of "familyemergencies." Two of the evacuees were suffering from "criticalconditions," government research group Antarctica New Zealand saidin a statement. The two were taken to a hospital in Christchurch,where their conditions were stable tonight, the statementsaid without elaborating.

Antarctica is the fifth-largest continent, 1½ times the size ofthe United States. Nations including the United States, Britain,New Zealand and Argentina carry out experiments at bases dottedacross the continent. They are regularly serviced by flights duringthe summer months but batten down the hatches and reduce staffingfor the polar winter.