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ASTROLABE 841819800
All 4 Frenchmen were killed when the AS350 Squirrel helicopter of the "Astrolabe" went down about 100 kilometres from the Dumont d'Urville French research base in Antarctica. The helicopter failed to arrive at the base after taking off from the French research ship on Oct 28. A pilot, mechanic and two staff from the French Antarctic research base were on board. AMSA detected the helicopter's distress beacon, but poor weather hampered the search. An Australian air force plane eventually spotted the wreckage late on Oct 29 , with three bodies sighted among the debris. On Oct 30, an Australian C-130 Hercules aircraft escorted a second French helicopter to the crash site, with a doctor onboard to verify whether there had been any survivors. AMSA confirmed about 4.30pm that all four Frenchmen onboard the doomed chopper had died. The helicopter was last observed at an altitude of just 29 feet, travelling at only 20 knots, sparking initial hopes that it had decided to land due to the extremely low visibility.
ASTROLABE 841819800
Searchers have spotted three bodies near the wreckage of a helicopter which crashed into the ice of Antarctica leaving four Frenchmen missing. An Australian air force plane reported observing three bodies in the crash zone and debris scattered over 150 metres, which indicates a strong impact with the ground. The AS350 Squirrel helicopter, which has been missing since late on Oct 28 2010, was carrying four Frenchmen - the pilot, a mechanic and two staff from Dumont d'Urville research base in the French Southern and Antarctic Lands. It had taken off from a ship, the "Astrolabe", that helps supply the station. A second French helicopter at Dumont d'Urville was unable to search the crash zone because snow was causing very limited visibility. Officials had earlier detected a distress beacon but the intercontinental rescue effort was unable to sight the chopper in heavy cloud or make radio contact with it. A New Zealand-based US plane flew over the zone early on Oct 29.
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