Antarctic Glaciology Mission Crash on Livingston Island (0644)

Incident Overview and Mission Context On the morning of the incident, the crew departed from Río Grande-Almirante Hermes José Quijada Airport to conduct a glaciology exploration mission over Antarctica. The flight was proceeding in relatively good weather conditions when the aircraft struck the slope of Mt Barnard, located on Livingston Island. The official investigation determined the probable cause of the accident to be controlled flight into terrain. ## Loss of Contact and Search Operations Communication with the crew was lost at 1245 local time, prompting the immediate initiation of search and rescue operations. The wreckage was located eight days later, on September 25. All 11 occupants aboard the aircraft were killed in the accident. ## Aircraft and Occupants The aircraft held a dual registration of 0644 and 2-P-103. The crew consisted of Lt Miguel Berraz (pilot), Cpt Arnaldo Mutto (copilot), Lt Claudio Cabut, Lt Romualdo Migliardo (flight engineer), 2nd Lt Nelson Villagra, Cpl Jesus Arroyo, Sgt Juan Noto, Cpl Benjamin Scesa (radio operator), Cpl Omar Campastri, and Sgt Remberto Brizuela. The sole passenger was Rodolfo Rivarola, Director of Canal 13 Television in Río Grande.