Mystery as Antarctica-bound US Air Force flight abruptly turns back to Christchurch
A United States Air Force flight bound for Antarctica has turned back to Christchurch less than 2.5 hours after taking off.
The hulking C-17 Globemaster left Christchurch Airport about 9am on Tuesday using the call sign ICE28, and headed south towards McMurdo Station before turning around over the Southern Ocean.
Flight-tracking site Flightradar24 records the aircraft leaving Christchurch at 9.02am and landing back at the airport at 11.29am, after two hours and 27 minutes in the air.
Christchurch Airport says the journey to Antarctica normally takes about five hours. Photo / Graham Sutherland.
The site identifies the aircraft as United States Air Force Boeing C-17A Globemaster III 09-9209.
Members of the Canterbury Plane Spotters Facebook group, who had been following the aircraft on Tuesday morning, also identified it as 09-9209 and said it was operating as ICE28 as part of this year’s WINFLY programme.
Some members of the group suggested strong winds may have played a part in the turnaround.
The USAF C-17A Globemaster III 09-9209 departs Christchurch Airport as part of this year’s WINFLY Antarctic flying programme. It returned about 2.5 hours later. Photo / Graham Sutherland.
The reason for the decision to turn back has not been officially confirmed.
The flight comes as the annual WINFLY, or Winter Flight Period, gets underway between Christchurch and Antarctica.
Turnarounds on the long flight to Antarctica are not unheard of and are known as “boomerangs”.
The US Air Force C-17 Globemaster ICE28 takes off from Christchurch Airport on Tuesday morning bound for Antarctica. Photo / Graham Sutherland
In 2023, Antarctica New Zealand said a 43-person Scott Base crew twice “boomeranged” back to Christchurch before successfully reaching Antarctica on its third attempt.
It described such turnarounds as a “rite of passage” for Antarctic crews.
The US Air Force has been contacted for comment.
Ben Tomsett is a multimedia journalist based in Dunedin. He joined the Herald in 2023.
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