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Bad weather hampers rescue mission

No information was available on the fate of the three men aboard the
ski-equipped Twin Otter, which is owned by Calgary-based Kenn Borek Air.

While
the plane's emergency locator beacon continued to emit signals, rescue
crews were unable to establish any radio contact with the trio on board
the aircraft.

"Weather is hampering things at the moment,'' said
Steve Rendle, a spokesman with New Zealand's Rescue Co-ordination Centre
in Wellington, which was organizing the search.

"The winds are
extreme, we are told the snow conditions are getting heavier and that's
preventing the helicopters and the Twin Otter (search) aircraft from
heading down.''

Kenn Borek Air, which is experienced in Antarctic
aviation, did not provide any details on the three crew members on
board the missing twin-engine propeller aircraft.

A spokesman for the U.S. National Science Foundation – which operates an Antarctic research station helping in the search – said the trio aboard the plane was thought to be a pilot, a co-pilot and a flight engineer.

"My
understanding is that it was just the flight crew and no passengers,''
said Peter West, who is based in Arlington, Va., and had been in touch
with crews in Antarctica.

The plane was flying from the South
Pole to an Italian base in Antarctica's Terra Nova Bay when its
emergency beacon went off en route.

The region is in New
Zealand's area of responsibility and that country's rescue crews were
working with U.S., Canadian and Italian authorities.

"The
flight was under the auspices of the Italian National Agency for New
Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development,'' said West.
"That's who the flight was in support of.''

Some Canadians
discussing the incident on Twitter identified Kenn Borek pilot Bob Heath
as one of those on board the missing plane. Calls to his residence in Inuvik, N.W.T, were referred to the airline.

"Fingers
crossed bigtime for friend Bob Heath – pilot of missing Kenn Borek Twin
Otter down in Antarctic…25+ years experience extreme flying,'' 
tweeted one person.

"Bob is an amazing pilot and a wonderful man. If anyone can get through this it's him,'' tweeted another.

The missing airplane began transmitting signals from its emergency locator beacon early Wednesday.

A
U.S. LC-130 aircraft was soon sent to the area where the signal was
coming from but was unable to spot the missing plane due to heavy, low
cloud.

Later on Wednesday, about 16 hours after the plane went
missing, a DC-3 aircraft spent hours over the same site, hoping to catch
a glimpse of the downed plane or the crew, but thick clouds again prevented a search of the terrain below.

Rendle
said the DC-3 aircraft spent around five hours circling overhead, but
has since returned to McMurdo Base, and with the weather not expected to
improve in the next 12 hours, it was unclear when the plane might
return to the scene.

The Rescue Co-ordination Centre said there
is solid cloud cover in the area, high winds of up to 170 kilometres an
hour and heavy snow.

Fixed wing aircraft and helicopters from New
Zealand and the U.S. were on standby at McMurdo Station, an American
research facility, ready to take to the skies as soon as the weather allowed.

"Conditions
are forecast to worsen with snow becoming heavier. However, when
weather conditions allow, a joint New Zealand and U.S.
field rescue team is ready to go,'' said John Ashby, New Zealand Search and Rescue Mission Co-ordinator.

The
plane carrying the three Canadians was equipped with survival
equipment, he said, including mountain tents and supplies which could last five days.

The
site from where the plane's beacon is emitting signals is approximately
four hours away from McMurdo Station by helicopter and a two hour
flight by the DC-3 aircraft.

Crews were hoping conditions would
improve enough in the next few hours for them to establish a forward
operating base at an unmanned station located some 50 kilometres from
the beacon's signal.

That base could then provide a co-ordination
point from where search planes and helicopters could scour the terrain
in the constant Antarctic daylight that is currently a bonus for rescue
crews.

The missing plane's signal is coming from the north end of
Antarctica's Queen Alexandra range — about halfway between the South
Pole and McMurdo Station — and the terrain is considered mountainous.

Authorities
in Canada were in contact with officials organizing the search in New
Zealand Wednesday, but had few details to offer when it came to those on
board the Canadian plane.

"We don't know exactly what's
happening other than that the beacon is still transmitting,'' said Capt.
Jean Houde of the Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Trenton, Ont..

"We don't know the condition of the people on board.''

Canada's
Department of Foreign Affairs said officials from the Canadian High
Commission in Wellington were working closely with local authorities.

"Search
and rescue operations are currently underway. Consular officials stand
ready to provide consular services as required,'' said spokeswoman
Barbara Harvey.

Kenn Borek Air has been in operation since 1970.
According to the company's website, 14 aircraft participated in its 2012
Antarctic season.

The company, which is also a fixture in Canada's North, has been sending planes to Antarctica for the past 28 years.

In
2001, its pilots and planes were involved in the daring rescue of an
ailing American doctor from the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station.

In
2009, the company was commissioned to recover an aircraft that had been
involved in an accident nearly a year earlier. A 12-person Kenn
Borek recovery crew spent 25 days at a remote field camp on the eastern
side of the Antarctic Plateau to carry out the operation.