Journalists asked whether he had felt as if he were in any danger during the flight. The flight included a backup aircraft. The airlift was one of the riskiest efforts ever by a small plane to the South Pole, with the pilots of the eight-seat craft braving snow, cold of minus 65 degrees, high winds and the darkness of the long polar winter. The journey began Saturday, when the plane took off from Punta Arenas for the Rothera base en route to the South Pole station. After reaching the Pole Tuesday, the plane remained overnight in subfreezing temperatures on an icy runway, then made a return flight, which took more than eight hours, Wednesday night to Rothera.
Pancreatitis can happen when a gallstone passes down the bile duct, irritating the pancreas.
In Punta Arenas, Shemenski was expected to get a checkup, rest overnight and take a commercial flight to the United States. Shemenski's was the second dramatic rescue this week. A plane evacuated 11 American staffers Tuesday from McMurdo Base on the Antarctic coast across from New Zealand. E-mail this story to a friend. All rights reserved.