Russian missile alert forces Antarctica-bound Air Force flight to turn around

A U.S. airlifter on a supply flight from New Zealand to Antarctica turned back this week after warnings about a space-related hazard, according to the U.S. Pacific Command.

The C-17 Globemaster III returned Tuesday to Christchurch International Airport, where an Air Force facility supports flights to Phoenix Airfield, an ice runway that services McMurdo Station, the largest American research facility on Antarctica.

“The plane turned around on the advice of New Zealand authorities who indicated that there was a space-related hazard enroute,” the Hawaii-based command said in an unsigned email Thursday.

The Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand learned from the Russian Air Traffic Management Centre of a planned missile launch and potential hazard to international airspace, authority spokeswoman Robyn Dodd said by email Thursday.

“As a result, we put in place a danger area and issued a NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) to alert aircraft operators to the potential hazard,” she said. “This does not prevent aircraft from flying through the area, operators make their decisions based on the information available.”

Issuing a NOTAM regarding flight hazards is a routine practice for air traffic service provider like New Zealand’s Oceanic Flight Information Region, Dodd said.

New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters said details of the Russian notice were unclear, Christchurch-based independent broadcaster Chris Lynch reported Tuesday.

“New Zealand is aware of the Russian notice to aircrew and mariners of a planned missile launch and associated potential hazard to international airspace southeast of New Zealand,” Peters said.

The C-17 was on a routine resupply mission scheduled for this time of year, according to PACAF.

The plane turned back at the start of the annual Winter Flight Period, or WinFly, between Christchurch and Antarctica in support of the U.S. Antarctic Program and the National Science Foundation.

PACAF did not immediately respond Thursday to questions about this year’s WinFly, but a September 2012 Air Force news release about the mission reported six Globemaster III flights delivering 319 passengers and more than 230,000 pounds of cargo to McMurdo that year.

“Using Christchurch International Airport, New Zealand as the base of operations, the mission of WinFly is to deliver advance teams and cargo to the remote research center in preparation for the main season of Operation Deep Freeze,” the release said.

Just ahead of the main season the station’s population swells from approximately 150 to roughly 10 times that size, according to the release.