Story highlights
NEW: Recovery effort planned
Three Canadians were flying from the South Pole to Terra Nova Bay in Antarctica
Plane wreckage suggests no one survived the crash
The missing crew's survival kit had enough food and water for five days
Authorities found the wreckage of a plane that crashed days ago in Antarctica in a condition that suggested no one survived.
Searchers found the plane, a Twin Otter aircraft carrying three people, close to the summit of Mount Elizabeth in Queen Alexandra Range, in Antarctica.
The plane “appears to have made a direct impact that was not survivable,” Maritime New Zealand said Saturday.
On Sunday, the agency said a recovery effort was planned. While the crash site is remote, weather conditions were good for the operation.
The condition of the three crew members on the Twin Otter operated by Calgary-based Kenn Borek Air Ltd. was not known nearly three days after the flight went missing and rescue attempts began.
The plane was flying from the South Pole to an Italian base at Terra Nova Bay, Maritime New Zealand said.
The missing crew had a kit that included survival suits, mountain tents, and enough food and water for five days.
The aircraft was believed to have been flying at a height of 13,000 feet in the rugged Queen Alexandra Range. It is a long distance from any bases in Antarctica.
The Twin Otter was operated by Calgary-based Kenn Borek Air Ltd.
CNN’s Dave Alsup and Erica Harrington contributed to this report.