By Diego Mendoza, CNN(CNN) — A US expeditioner in Antarctica was rescued last month in a daring mid-winter medical evacuation by an Australian aviation team in the middle of crippling temperatures and near pitch-black conditions. After safely transferring the American patient onto the plane, the mission departed Antarctica “ahead of deteriorating conditions,” Skytraders said, and then flew to Christchurch, New Zealand, where the patient was treated. No details about the patient have been provided, and Health New Zealand would not disclose information without family approval. “Every Antarctic mission demands absolute precision, but winter operations raise the complexity significantly,” Captain Al Wallach, the main pilot on the flight, said in a statement. Louise Robertson, the co-pilot of the successful mission, told CNN that even during the summer months, missions to Antarctica are no easy feat.