Next Gas? Next Continent

The first person to fly a home-built single-engine plane over the South Pole is stranded in Antarctica after his aircraft ran short of fuel — and U.S. and New Zealand bases there refused to supply any — a New Zealand official said Wednesday.

Australian pilot Jon Johanson left Invercargill, New Zealand on Sunday, and flew his RV-4 airplane 3,680 miles -- 26 1/2 hours to cross the pole.

He'd planned to continue to Argentina, but stronger-than-expected headwinds ate into his fuel reserves, forcing him to land Tuesday at the McMurdo base run by the United States, just a few kilometers (miles) from New Zealand's Scott base.

Johanson's partner Sue Ball said from Australia that the flier wanted to return to New Zealand and had asked both bases for 104 gallons of fuel.

Both refused.

"The U.S. actually don't run a gas station in Antarctica ... and nor does New Zealand," Antarctica New Zealand Chief Executive Lou Sanson told The Associated Press by phone. "Currently he is unable to get fuel."

The bases try to deter tourists, insisting visitors must be self-sufficient.

"He appears to have gone in there without a search and rescue plan and without a contingency plan if things go wrong, and he's expecting the New Zealand and United States governments to pick up and be his contingency," Sanson said, adding that the bases hadn't been notified of the flight.

However, Sanson said U.S. staff at the McMurdo airfield provided Johanson with food and shelter.

"We are prepared to give him a seat out on the first available plane" back to New Zealand, Sanson said. "And we can make arrangements to ship his plane out (by sea) at his cost."

Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said he understood the New Zealand and U.S. policy of deterring adventurers from flying over Antarctica, but had asked New Zealand officials to make an exception in Johanson's case.

"The ideal solution would be if the Americans and the New Zealanders together, who have joint responsibility for McMurdo Station, would provide fuel for the aircraft," Downer told ABC radio.

Johanson has previously flown the same plane around the world three times, and over the North Pole.