Post by Dave Homewood on Oct 15, 2023 14:05:30 GMT 12
U.S. Naval Officer Tells Of Crash In Antarctic
“That was a mighty rough landing,’’ remarked one of the members of a trail party which was being flown back to Little America in the Antarctic. He had been asleep at the rear of the aircraft and thought it had landed at the base. What he did not realise was that the Otter had crashed into a mountain slope after flying blind and becoming lost during a blizzard.
A vivid account of the crash was given by Lieutenant-Commander G. H. Lathrop. U.S.N., when speaking at a Navy League luncheon yesterday. Lieutenant-Commander Lathrop had another narrow escape when the helicopter he was piloting crashed into Lyttelton harbour.
Lieutenant-Commander Lathrop said that last year the task force of the United States Antarctic expedition was divided in half, one portion going to McMurdo Sound and the other to Little America. He was officer in charge of an aviation unit comprising two pilots, seven men, an Otter aircraft and a helicopter. The unit served as a supply agent for the mechanised trail party whose job it was to find a trail up the Ross ice shelf to Marie Byrd Land, where they hoped to establish a base about 500 miles from Little America. The unit also served as the “eyes” of the trail party, flying ahead and charting the best route. Sometimes they would do this by dropping brightly coloured marker flags from the aircraft.
Hazards in Antarctic
There were three great threats in the Antarctic, explained Lieutenant-Commander Lathrop—weather, temperature and crevasses. Some of the crevasses were so huge that they could envelop a three or four storey building without showing any signs of it. At times these crevasses were covered with snow bridges which were strong enough to support a man’s weight, but collapsed under the weight of a tractor and sledge.
The operation proceeded smoothly, in spite of the bad flying conditions at times. The party had covered 400 miles and were within 100 miles of its objective when the weather began to deteriorate and some of the vehicles hauling the sledges began to show signs of wear and mechanical trouble. The commander of the trail party asked for permission to build the base on the site, but no decision was reached. However, it was decided to fly the trail party back to Little America. It was decided some time later that the base would be built on the original location, as it was required on a specific geographical spot because of the scientific investigation to be carried out, said Lieutenant-Commander Lathrop.
It was a clear, bright day when the Otter left Little America to bring back the first four of the trail party. They took off at 4.18 a.m. and flying conditions were perfect, but they failed to give any significance to a bank of clouds, low on the horizon. Lieutenant-Commander Lathrop said.
On the return trip they flew into bad weather and several times changed altitude in an effort to avoid it. They lost radio contact with the base at Little America and to make matters worse the aircraft began to ice-up heavily. Then their radio altimeter began to fluctuate erratically, showing that they were flying over mountaineous country, said Lieutenant-Commander Lathrop.
They were completely lost, and although the engine was running on full power they were gradually forced down at the rate of 200 ft a minute because of the icing up. Visibility was nil when they crashed into the mountainside. Fortunately for the occupants of the aircraft most of the force of the impact was taken by the Otter’s skies, and it slewed up the mountainside before coming to rest.
Attempt to Walk Back
Because of the danger of the aircraft sliding down the steep mountain slope they abandoned it and set up camp in snow caves. For the 36 hours after the crash the blizzard was so intense that they could not see a man at the end of 120 foot of rope. A radio was set up and distress signals were sent out continuously, but they had no way of knowing if they were reaching anyone as their radio receiving equipment had been wrecked in the crash.
After spending three days near the site of the wrecked plane the party decided to make an attempt to walk to the base at Little America. They estimated that it would take them 11 days to reach base. Among the reasons for this decision were that they knew that there were no multi-engined aircraft available for the search, that Lieutenant-Commander Lathrop was the only one who knew how to fly the helicopter at Little America, and the shortage of food.
The party set out dragging a sledge containing a parachute, sleeping bags, a tent and the limited food supplies. They found that walking in the soft snow was much more difficult than they expected. Because of their weakened condition through the lack of food and the rigorous climate it was found that only two husky men among the party had sufficient strength to drag the sledge. For this they were given some extra spoonfuls of oatmeal.
The party encountered a blizzard but had to push on through the blinding snow with the aid of a compass, as they realised that any delay would mean that their food would be exhausted before they reached the base. They were all roped together.
On the morning of the fourth day on the march —the seventh after the crash—members of the party thought they saw rescuers ahead but it turned out to be a mirage. But the large orange helicopter which landed nearby in the afternoon was the real thing, and their first meal for days consisted of rye and candy. Lieutenant-Commander Lathrop said that he still shuddered at the thought of that meal.
PRESS, 13 DECEMBER 1956
“That was a mighty rough landing,’’ remarked one of the members of a trail party which was being flown back to Little America in the Antarctic. He had been asleep at the rear of the aircraft and thought it had landed at the base. What he did not realise was that the Otter had crashed into a mountain slope after flying blind and becoming lost during a blizzard.
A vivid account of the crash was given by Lieutenant-Commander G. H. Lathrop. U.S.N., when speaking at a Navy League luncheon yesterday. Lieutenant-Commander Lathrop had another narrow escape when the helicopter he was piloting crashed into Lyttelton harbour.
Lieutenant-Commander Lathrop said that last year the task force of the United States Antarctic expedition was divided in half, one portion going to McMurdo Sound and the other to Little America. He was officer in charge of an aviation unit comprising two pilots, seven men, an Otter aircraft and a helicopter. The unit served as a supply agent for the mechanised trail party whose job it was to find a trail up the Ross ice shelf to Marie Byrd Land, where they hoped to establish a base about 500 miles from Little America. The unit also served as the “eyes” of the trail party, flying ahead and charting the best route. Sometimes they would do this by dropping brightly coloured marker flags from the aircraft.
Hazards in Antarctic
There were three great threats in the Antarctic, explained Lieutenant-Commander Lathrop—weather, temperature and crevasses. Some of the crevasses were so huge that they could envelop a three or four storey building without showing any signs of it. At times these crevasses were covered with snow bridges which were strong enough to support a man’s weight, but collapsed under the weight of a tractor and sledge.
The operation proceeded smoothly, in spite of the bad flying conditions at times. The party had covered 400 miles and were within 100 miles of its objective when the weather began to deteriorate and some of the vehicles hauling the sledges began to show signs of wear and mechanical trouble. The commander of the trail party asked for permission to build the base on the site, but no decision was reached. However, it was decided to fly the trail party back to Little America. It was decided some time later that the base would be built on the original location, as it was required on a specific geographical spot because of the scientific investigation to be carried out, said Lieutenant-Commander Lathrop.
It was a clear, bright day when the Otter left Little America to bring back the first four of the trail party. They took off at 4.18 a.m. and flying conditions were perfect, but they failed to give any significance to a bank of clouds, low on the horizon. Lieutenant-Commander Lathrop said.
On the return trip they flew into bad weather and several times changed altitude in an effort to avoid it. They lost radio contact with the base at Little America and to make matters worse the aircraft began to ice-up heavily. Then their radio altimeter began to fluctuate erratically, showing that they were flying over mountaineous country, said Lieutenant-Commander Lathrop.
They were completely lost, and although the engine was running on full power they were gradually forced down at the rate of 200 ft a minute because of the icing up. Visibility was nil when they crashed into the mountainside. Fortunately for the occupants of the aircraft most of the force of the impact was taken by the Otter’s skies, and it slewed up the mountainside before coming to rest.
Attempt to Walk Back
Because of the danger of the aircraft sliding down the steep mountain slope they abandoned it and set up camp in snow caves. For the 36 hours after the crash the blizzard was so intense that they could not see a man at the end of 120 foot of rope. A radio was set up and distress signals were sent out continuously, but they had no way of knowing if they were reaching anyone as their radio receiving equipment had been wrecked in the crash.
After spending three days near the site of the wrecked plane the party decided to make an attempt to walk to the base at Little America. They estimated that it would take them 11 days to reach base. Among the reasons for this decision were that they knew that there were no multi-engined aircraft available for the search, that Lieutenant-Commander Lathrop was the only one who knew how to fly the helicopter at Little America, and the shortage of food.
The party set out dragging a sledge containing a parachute, sleeping bags, a tent and the limited food supplies. They found that walking in the soft snow was much more difficult than they expected. Because of their weakened condition through the lack of food and the rigorous climate it was found that only two husky men among the party had sufficient strength to drag the sledge. For this they were given some extra spoonfuls of oatmeal.
The party encountered a blizzard but had to push on through the blinding snow with the aid of a compass, as they realised that any delay would mean that their food would be exhausted before they reached the base. They were all roped together.
On the morning of the fourth day on the march —the seventh after the crash—members of the party thought they saw rescuers ahead but it turned out to be a mirage. But the large orange helicopter which landed nearby in the afternoon was the real thing, and their first meal for days consisted of rye and candy. Lieutenant-Commander Lathrop said that he still shuddered at the thought of that meal.
PRESS, 13 DECEMBER 1956
