US Navy helo rescues plane crash survivors
A six-strong SAR team from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island conducted an operation to locate a crashed plane and survivors in the Olympic National Park, Washington, US.
A six-strong SAR team from Naval Air Station (NAS) Whidbey Island conducted an operation to locate a crashed plane and survivors in the Olympic National Park, Washington, US.
The crew received notification of the crash just before 16:30 hrs on 2 April and prepared for immediate launch, said the US Navy. Because of the potential for multiple survivors requiring medical attention, the crew elected to take a second SAR Medical Technician (SMT) onboard. The helicopter launched just after 17:15 hrs and proceeded at maximum speed to the suspected location of the plane. At 17:38 hrs, the crew arrived on scene where they searched the area in co-ordination with a fixed-wing Civil Air Patrol aircraft. Ten minutes later, the crew located the wreckage of the Cirrus R22 in a valley at an altitude of 5,700 ft (1,740 m). After conducting multiple low passes over the crash site to determine the existence of hazards and gauge wind affects, the crew conducted power checks and set up for recovery. Noting that the downed aircraft’s parachute was not visible, the crew opted to commence an approach to a hover approximately 75 yards away from the wreckage in case it inadvertently deployed, while also preventing blowing debris that could cause further injury or damage.
Just before 18:00 hrs, both of the helicopter crew’s SMTs and the helicopter inland rescue aircrewman (HIRA) rappelled down to the survivors and commenced medical assessments. The rescue aircraft departed the hover and circled the scene within communications distance to conserve fuel and allow the crewmen to prepare the patients for transport. The SMTs treated the survivors, prepared them for transport and called the helicopter back into position as soon as they were ready. During this time, the Civil Air Patrol aircraft was instrumental in relaying the status of the recovery and updating the hospital with patient condition and arrival time, said the Navy. At 19:00 hrs, both patients and all three crewmembers were hoisted into the helicopter and transported directly to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for further evaluation.