The Secret History of Flight 149 · Crowd Network

Antarctica | Ep 6 | Theories

April 1, 2024·43 min·4 clips

How can a man die at a U.S.-run scientific base in Antarctica, and 24 years later, nobody knows why?

Host Stephen Davis frames the episode as the culmination of over 20 years of investigation into the first suspected murder at the South Pole. He systematically reviews the coroner's findings on each theory. On suicide: the coroner, Rodney's supervisor Tony, and friend Dave all reject it; Rodney was happy, in a committed relationship, and desperate to know what was wrong with him during his final 36 hours. On accidental ingestion: the concentration of methanol was so high Rodney must have drunk it, not absorbed it through skin; colleagues say he was too intelligent to mistake a labelled bottle of methanol for ethanol; the home brew on base was tested and found free of methanol. On the home brew specifically: former crew member Gene believes an accidental bad batch is the most plausible explanation, but the coroner's analysis found no methanol in the sample tested. The mysterious prawn bottle on Rodney's desk — unidentifiable writing, possible gift — was discarded by crew member Darren after the death and never tested; Detective Wormald tried to trace it for years without success. The episode then examines the role of Dr Robert Thompson, the base physician. Thompson had suffered a severe back injury a month into the season and was believed by multiple witnesses to have self-medicated with narcotics; replacement doctor Ron Cheminski found a discrepancy in the narcotics inventory when he arrived. The key diagnostic machine, the Ektachem blood analyser, was broken throughout Rodney's illness because its lithium battery had died and recalibrating it required 8-10 hours Thompson did not have; Thompson had reported the malfunction to contractor Raytheon but nothing had been done. Cheminski notes there was no formal training for doctors on the machine and no routine maintenance procedure. The coroner concluded Thompson should have questioned Rodney about the needle marks in his arm and that a working Ektachem would have seriously enhanced Rodney's chances of survival. Forensic pathologist Michelle states that all evidence points away from suicide and toward deliberate poisoning by another person, while acknowledging motive remains unknown. Davis explores the social dynamics of the winter-over crew: 42 men and 8 women, hierarchical tensions between scientists and Raytheon contractors, career competition, and the psychological distortions caused by isolation. Ron Cheminski, who became the NSF's first medical director after Rodney's death, reveals he was never briefed on the case and believes the NSF wanted it closed. The jurisdictional conflict between New Zealand and the US remained unresolved; Davis notes there is no record of it ever being discussed at Antarctic Treaty meetings. The episode ends with Rodney's family still without answers, his grave in Geelong, and the image of the Australian flag at the South Pole drifting 30 feet per year away from where he died.

As heard by us

A death at the South Pole becomes a study in uncertainty.

Rodney Marks' death at South Pole Station is handled as an unresolved case, not dressed up as a tidy mystery. The episode works through suicide, accidental methanol intoxication, and possible foul play, while keeping the secrecy and rumors around Antarctica in view.

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Why you'd press play

You want a South Pole mystery that keeps every theory on the table.

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