14°c Overcast
13°c Variable cloudiness
The Canadian Press - ONLINE EDITION
Officials halt efforts to recover bodies of Canadians in Antarctica crash
The wreckage of a Twin Otter aircraft missing in Antarctica since Wednesday night has been found on a steep slope near the summit of Mount Elizabeth. Officials have called off efforts to recover the bodies of three Canadians after a plane crash in Antarctica, saying it would be unsafe to further disturb the wreckage.One of the agencies investigating the deadly crash says poor winter weather will delay the recovery operation until the next Antarctic research season, which coincides with the polar region's period of 24-hour sunlight.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Vokey
Officials have called off efforts to recover the bodies of three Canadians after a plane crash in Antarctica, saying it would be unsafe to further disturb the wreckage.
One of the agencies investigating the deadly crash says poor winter weather will delay the recovery operation until the next Antarctic research season, which coincides with the polar region's period of 24-hour sunlight.
Peter West of the U.S. National Science Foundation says rescue crews have retrieved some equipment from the Twin Otter aircraft, which is largely embedded in steep slope near the summit of Mount Elizabeth on the Queen Alexandra range
Among those items is the cockpit voice recorder, a tool that should help aviation authorities learn more about what caused the plane to go down.
The New Zealand Rescue Co-Ordination Centre has said the aircraft appears to have been on course but may have turned too early while flying through a mountain range.
The plane is operated by Calgary-based Kenn Borek Air and was reported missing after it failed to reach its destination on Wednesday.
The pilot has been identified by friends as Bob Heath of Inuvik while media reports have identified a second crew member as Mike Denton, a newlywed from Calgary whose photographs of planes appear on the Kenn Borek website.
The third crew member has not been identified.
The Transportation Safety Board said that since the Twin Otter was operated by a Canadian company, officials here have already started working on a probe into the crash.
Spokeswoman Julie Leroux said Canadian investigators have collected data and conducted interviews, but it may not be possible for them to reach the remote crash site.
More FP News Top Story
- Back to Top
- Return to FP News Top Story
More FP News Top Story
(1 of 28 articles for this week)
Tiger Woods wins Players Championship as Garcia's hopes drown on island-green 17th
05/12/2013 8:41 PM 0
Poll
Most Popular FP News Top Story
- Dates set for recreational food fishery in Newfoundland and Labrador
- Unidentified victims of Bangladesh collapse buried as more graves are readied; toll now 420
- Pakistani model's tattooed nude photo in Indian magazine causes uproar
- Senator's wife often got upset about health of much older husband: grandmother
- Car bomb at French Embassy in Libyan capital wounds 3 in latest sign of deepening lawlessness
- Israeli archaeologists discover ancient clay seal in Jerusalem, suggest link to Temple ritual
- Sex, celebrities and nostalgia play big roles in Super Bowl ads
- Secret radar mission little known success story of disastrous WWII Dieppe raid
- First lady: Jobs program has led to training or hiring of 290,000 veterans, military spouses
- Coroner: 5-year-old boy shoots 2-year-old sister in US with rifle he got as a gift
- Unidentified victims of Bangladesh collapse buried as more graves are readied; toll now 420
- Dates set for recreational food fishery in Newfoundland and Labrador
- Pakistani model's tattooed nude photo in Indian magazine causes uproar
- Nigeria, beset by violence from Islamic extremists, sets up committee on offering amnesty deal
- Police: Boston Marathon bomb suspect fired shots from boat, hospitalized in serious condition
- Israeli archaeologists discover ancient clay seal in Jerusalem, suggest link to Temple ritual
- Car bomb at French Embassy in Libyan capital wounds 3 in latest sign of deepening lawlessness
- Pressure grows to improve human rights for transgender people in Newfoundland
- Father of Rehtaeh Parsons pleads for new law against malicious harassment online
- Serena Williams beats Sharapova to win 50th career title in Madrid; Nadal wins men's event
- ESPN says it regrets that reporter described gay NBA player Collins as a sinner
- Pakistani model's tattooed nude photo in Indian magazine causes uproar
- Toronto aunt of Boston bombing suspects doesn't believe they're involved
- Unidentified victims of Bangladesh collapse buried as more graves are readied; toll now 420
- Census 2011 makes history: population in the West surpasses that in the East
- As Boston mourns, suspected brothers' radicalism comes into focus
- Dates set for recreational food fishery in Newfoundland and Labrador
- Car bomb at French Embassy in Libyan capital wounds 3 in latest sign of deepening lawlessness
- Elections Canada wants greater punishment powers in wake of robocalls debacle
- Israeli archaeologists discover ancient clay seal in Jerusalem, suggest link to Temple ritual
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.