Chilean Air Force C-130 plane en route
to Antarctica disappears with 38 on board
An aircraft disappearing off Antarctica must be ringing some bells for inclined readers.
It combines such mysteries as "Antarctica", "Missing people" and "MH-370"...
The plane's destination was the "Frei" military base on King George Island.
We'll have to stay tuned to find out whether parts of the plane can be recovered or whether it accidentally went to another realm...
BBC News on Dec 12, 2019
An aircraft disappearing off Antarctica must be ringing some bells for inclined readers.
It combines such mysteries as "Antarctica", "Missing people" and "MH-370"...
The plane's destination was the "Frei" military base on King George Island.
We'll have to stay tuned to find out whether parts of the plane can be recovered or whether it accidentally went to another realm...
BBC News on Dec 12, 2019
The transport aircraft took off from Punta Arenas at 16:55 local time (19:55 GMT), and operators lost contact at 18:13 (21:13).Those missing include 17 crew and 21 passengers.
They were travelling to provide logistical support to a military base on Antarctica's King George Island. A search-and-rescue mission is under way.
Air Force Gen Eduardo Mosqueira told local media that the plane did not activate any distress signal. He said the plane, whose pilot had extensive experience, might have been forced to touch down on water.
An air force statement said that the plane was about 450 miles (725km) into its 770-mile journey when contact was lost, placing it within the Drake Passage.
The Drake Passage is a body of water connecting the South Atlantic and South Pacific oceans, and is known for treacherous weather conditions. But Chile's air force said local weather was good at the time of the plane's disappearance.
It also said that the plane would have had enough fuel to keep airborne until 00:40.
Three of the passengers were Chilean soldiers; two were civilians employed by engineering and construction firm Inproser, who were going to carry out work on the military base; one was a student at Magellanes University; and the remaining 15 passengers were members of the air force.