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Old 19th Feb 2004, 07:21
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rotorcraig
 
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From BBC News

Polar helicopter flight still on

A grandmother who was injured when her helicopter crashed in Antarctica has vowed to complete her pole-to-pole journey.

Jennifer Murray dislocated her elbow while trying to fly from the South Pole to the North Pole.

The 63-year-old from Frome, Somerset, says she and co-pilot, Colin Bodill, 53, who fractured a vertebra in the crash, are both "raring to go".

"We are not the type of people to be put off easily," she said.

"We understand what went wrong and we are older and wiser now."

The pair, who have nearly recovered from their injuries, intend to leave for the North Pole at the beginning of 2005.

Mrs Murray said: "Colin would like to do the whole thing again and go into Antarctica once more.

Wrecked helicopter

"Then we would have a chance at breaking the record. I need a little more convincing of that yet."

Their Bell 407 helicopter went down in atrocious weather crashing in frozen wastes 120 miles north of Patriot Hills, a base on the northern section of the Ronne Ice Shelf in western Antarctica.

Despite his injuries and battling gale-force winds and minus 40C temperatures, Mr Bodill from Nottingham clambered out of the wrecked helicopter and wrapped his stricken co-pilot in a sleeping bag before setting up camp while waiting for rescuers.

They were eventually saved when a pilot from Antarctic Logistics and Expeditions flying a Twin Otter plane picked them up and flew them to the base at Patriot Hills.
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