AVALON, NEW ZEALAND – A Twin Otter aircraft has landed at the Beardmore Glacier, Antarctica, about 50km away from the site of a beacon activated by a missing aircraft, also a Twin Otter, at 10pm on Wednesday night (NZ time).

The Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand is coordinating the search and rescue mission, working with United States and Canadian authorities. No visual sightings of the missing aircraft have been possible since the beacon activation, due to low cloud in the area.

RCCNZ Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator Tracy Brickles said the intention was to set up a forward base at the Beardmore Glacier location. Two helicopters, including a Southern Lakes helicopter on contract to Scott Base, are en route and expected to arrive at around 4pm (NZ time).

A C-130 Hercules aircraft is circling the beacon activation site, also attempting to make visual contact, and will then land with supplies at the Beardmore Glacier site. A DC3 aircraft carrying further supplies is also en route.

The beacon activation site is at a height of 13,000 feet at the northern end of the Queen Alexandra Range, within New Zealand’s Search and Rescue Region – halfway between the South Pole and McMurdo Station (approximately 370 nautical miles in each direction).

The crew of the missing aircraft are understood to have survival equipment and sufficient food supplies for five days.