Twenty months after Captain David Wood fell into a crevasse on a remote ice shelf in Antarctica, hearings for the inquest into his death will open on Tuesday in the ACT Coroner's Court.
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The pilot's death was a reminder of the "hostile, remote and inherently dangerous environment" in which Antarctic employees worked, said environment minister Greg Hunt at the time.
Now the inquest will scrutinise the circumstances of his death.
It was about 8pm on January 11, 2016, when Mr Wood and another pilot, both flying solo, were sling loading fuel at a remote ice shelf, a statement from the Australian Antarctic Division said at the time.
Mr Wood and the other pilot landed at the fuel depot on the ice shelf, some 166 kilometres north east of Davis Station. Mr Wood got out of his helicopter before falling 20 metres deep into a crevasse.
The second pilot called back to Davis for help and then flew the 45 minutes back, the statement said.
A search and rescue team arrived about three hours after Mr Wood fell. They retrieved the pilot and took him back to the medical facility at Davis in a critical condition, the statement said.
He was cared for by a team of specialists on Davis and in Australia, via telemedicine. However, Mr Wood, 62, died the following day.
Mr Wood, a dual Australian and Canadian citizen, was employed as a senior pilot with Helicopter Resources. The company is contracted to the Australian Antarctic Division, which forms part of the Department of Environment and Energy.
Mr Wood had more than 30 years experience as a pilot.
He was remembered at the time as "a larger than life figure ... and a much loved friend and colleague to everyone on station."
The size of the inquest created logistical difficulties for the ACT Coroner's Court. One directions hearing heard the usual courtrooms were not big enough to accommodate all of the parties.
Instead, the inquest will be heard at the Nigel Bowen Commonwealth Law Courts Building, where the Federal Court of Australia sits in Canberra.
Those represented in the inquest include Mr Wood's family, the environment department, Helicopter Resources, as well as search and rescue specialists and antarctic division employees.
ACT Chief Coroner Lorraine Walker will hear the inquest.
