DIED  IN  ANTARCTIC  AIRCRAFT  CRASH

Operation Highjump, officially titled “The United States Navy Antarctic Developments Program, 1946-1947,” was an operation organized by the famous arctic explorer RADM Richard E. Byrd, USN (Ret), who was the Officer-In-Charge of the operation.  RADM Byrd publically stated that the purposes of the operation were “primarily of a military nature to train naval personnel and to test ships, planes and equipment under frigid zone conditions and a major purpose of the expedition was to learn how the Navy's standard, everyday equipment would perform under everyday conditions".  The task force formed for the operation included over 4,700 men, 13 ships and multiple aircraft making it the largest Antarctic expedition ever organized. 

The seaplane tender USS PINE ISLAND (AV-12), carrying three Martin PBM-5 Mariner flying boats, was part of the Highjump fleet and was sent to the Amundsen and Bellingshausen Seas where the weather is known to be some of the worst in the world.  The area is known for its frequent foggy weather, howling blizzards and stormy waters.  Heavy swells and frequent snow squalls plagued PINE ISLAND until the weather suddenly improved on the afternoon of December 29, 1946, and the planes commenced their assignment of mapping operations.  On the morning of December 30, PBM “George One” prepared for flight and the Plane Commander assembled the crew of nine men, and after briefing them of unfavorable weather conditions that were predicted to come, the entire crew volunteered to fly.  Aviation Radioman First Class Wendell K. Henderson was a crewmember aboard George One.

The takeoff of George One was an indication of things to come.  Large swells made the takeoff very difficult, and required both the pilot and co-pilot to simultaneously pull the yoke as hard as they could when coming out of each swell and then pushing as hard as possible when going into each swell to overcome the tendency of the plane to porpoise.  Finally, after a run of an estimated two miles, sufficient speed was reached and the four JATO bottles were fired to give the added life needed to leave the water.  Slowly they rose to about 800 feet but found themselves flying in a snowstorm with visibility at zero-zero.  The plane was now flying only with radar to outline the nearby icebergs and approaching coastline where it had been predicted the weather would improve.

The plane flew for several hours toward its destination of Thurston Island and found conditions worsening.  The plane began picking up a great deal of ice, the bow station Plexiglas froze over and the cockpit windows frosted over despite all efforts with on-board de-icing equipment.  The plane suddenly entered an “ice blink,” streams of sunshine trapped beneath the clouds bouncing off the snow in a million directions, as if each ice fragment were a tiny mirror.  To make matters worse a fine driving snow obstructed the surface below.  Altimeters began giving different readings because of the conditions and as the wings began to ice up the pilot remarked, “I don’t like the looks of this.  Let’s get the hell out of here!"  As George One began a gently bank, all aboard the plane suddenly felt a crunching shock that reverberated all along the hull.  The plane had obviously grazed something unseen and as both pilots pulled back hard on the yoke George One began to rise steeply and there was a massive explosion as the plane suddenly blew up.  The plane had scraped an unseen ridge on the ground and punctured a fuel tank whereupon over a thousand gallons of fuel exploded into a fireball and blew the plane into fragments.

As the plane disintegrated, members of the crew were ejected and fell into the soft snow.  Although six of the crewmembers survived, three died in the crash.  Tragically, ARM1 Henderson, who was seated at his normal flight position, was one of the casualties and was killed as the plane disintegrated.  ARM1 Henderson and the two other crash victims were the first three Americans to die during any of RADM Byrd’s expeditions.  The six survivors were finally rescued after thirteen days.  The three crash victims were buried under the George One wing before the others were rescued and are still buried there although strong sentiments have been voiced that they should be returned to the U.S. for proper burial.  However, the Navy has reported that the location of the George One wreckage is known but that it is now covered by over 100-feet of snow, has traveled several miles toward the nearby coast and recovery of the bodies is “unfeasible.” 

Wendell K. Henderson was posthumously promoted to the rank of ARMC.   A plaque has also been erected at the McMurdo Station in the Antarctic honoring the three killed crewmen. 

Submitted by CDR Roy A. Mosteller, USNR (Ret)