Antarctic Mission Crash During Deep Freeze IV (144673)

Incident Overview and Context The accident occurred while the crew was participating in the 'Deep Freeze IV' mission in Antarctica. The event took place shortly after the aircraft had taken off, during a critical phase of flight in a remote environment. The specific aircraft type, registration, operator, and exact date are not provided in the available source material, so this article limits its scope to the operational details and sequence of events explicitly stated in the investigation record. ## Sequence of Events After takeoff, the pilot-in-command executed a sharp turn to the left at a low height. This maneuver caused the left wing to strike the ground. Following the ground contact, the airplane became out of control. The aircraft subsequently crashed and was destroyed. ## Casualties and Crew The crash resulted in the deaths of both pilots. The crew members identified in the source are Lt Harvey E. Gardner and Lt Lawrence J. Gardner. No additional crew or passenger information is provided in the source, and no further details about injuries or recovery operations are available.