The aircraft was a Lockheed C-121 Constellation, a military version of the famous four-engine airliner. Known as Pegasus, the aircraft was being operated by the U.S. Navy when disaster struck near McMurdo Station on the 8th of October 1970.
While attempting to land in terrible Antarctic weather, the aircraft encountered a severe whiteout. With visibility virtually disappearing, the crew was forced to make an emergency landing on the Ross Ice Shelf.
The landing badly damaged the aircraft, but remarkably, all 80 people aboard survived.
With the Constellation too badly damaged to return to service, it was abandoned on the ice. Over the following decades, Antarctica slowly began to reclaim it. Snow and ice accumulated around the aircraft, gradually burying much of the once-impressive Constellation.
The wreck became a familiar landmark for personnel operating in the region, and it eventually gave its name to Pegasus Field, an important Antarctic airfield that served McMurdo Station for many years.
Today, much of the aircraft remains hidden beneath the Antarctic ice. What was once a magnificent four-engine aircraft has become an unusual piece of aviation history — frozen in time in one of the most remote places on Earth.
Some aircraft are retired to museums. Others are scrapped. And then there is Pegasus — an aircraft that became part of Antarctica itself.
Aircraft Information:
Owner/Operator US Navy
Section: Air Development Squadron Six
Aircraft: Lockheed C-121 Constellation
Registration: 131644
Serial Number: 4145
Engines: 4 x Wright R-3350 Turbo-Compound radial engines
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