The challenging hoist rescue of a stranded hunter by the Alaska Army National Guard (AKARNG) has been named the 2021 Rescue of the Year by the DUSTOFF Association. The award was presented to the AKARNG, Golf Company Detachment 2 2-211th General Support Aviation Battalion for the difficult rescue in steep, rugged terrain, which was performed on the afternoon of Sept. 15, 2021.
Alaska state troopers had received an alert after a hunter in the Knik River Valley, northwest of Anchorage, activated his personal SOS beacon using an inReach communication device.
The hunter had been stranded for two days on steep, unstable ground at a high elevation. Due to deteriorating weather conditions and the mountainous terrain, troopers requested assistance from the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center to mobilize support from local military assets.
AKARNG State Army Aviation Officer Lt. Col. Michele Edwards authorized a medical evacuation HH-60M from Bryant Army Airfield to support the mission. The crew consisted of pilot in command 1st Lt. Cody McKinney, copilot Chief Warrant Officer 2 Bradley Jorgensen, crew chief/hoist operator Staff Sgt. Sonny Cooper, and flight paramedic Staff Sgt. Damion Minchaca.
“Takeoff conditions showed seven miles visibility, few clouds at 3,500 feet [1,066 meters], broken clouds at 5,500 feet [1,676 m], broken clouds at 7,000 feet [2,133 m], vicinity snow showers and occasional moderate turbulence surface to 4,000 feet [1,219 m]. Winds at takeoff were … 10 knots gusting 20,” said McKinney.
Once the crew entered the valley they located a one mile “sucker hole” through the cloud base, which provided them with access to the rescue grid. Visibility dropped to just one mile (1.6 kilometers) over the rescue site with snow covered terrain and flat light conditions.
The flight crew initiated a counterclockwise search pattern at 60 knots, starting at 5,600 feet (1,700 m) and increasing 100 feet (30 m) each full turn. On the second pass, the crew located the hunter, trapped on a three-foot-square (one-meter-square) ledge at 5,750 feet (1,752 m) on 50-degree sloping, snow covered terrain. They determined, due to the extreme angle of the terrain, blowing snow, and limited visibility, a dynamic hoist technique was necessary to perform the rescue.
“The crew set up at 6,000 feet (1,828 m) a quarter mile from the hiker,” explained McKinney. “The aircraft began an approach at 50 knots with the tail kicked out to the right 15 degrees, Cooper lowered Minchaca into the ‘brace’ position with his name tape abreast to the door.
“They both acknowledged the target and began peeling cable out. Minchaca descended 100 feet (30 m) on the cable and landed within a foot of the hunter on his feet. The hunter initially tried to reach out to him, but fearing he might be pulled off the ledge, Minchaca pushed him against the mountain wall. Minchaca then deployed the ARV [Air-Lift Rescue Vest] and secured the patient.”
Total time from arrival to retrieval of the patient was one minute, 46 seconds. The crew picked up the patient on center and began a left descending turn while Cooper brought them to the helicopter, said McKinney.
Once the patient was secured, the crew descended back through the same cloud layer and headed to Palmer Airport for patient handoff. The hunter suffered from minor cold weather injuries and was malnourished but otherwise uninjured.
The DUSTOFF Association is a Veterans’ organization, established in 1980, comprised of Veterans of the U.S. Army who served in or supported U.S. Army Aeromedical Evacuation companies and detachments.
DUSTOFF was originally a two-word “call-sign” for all aeromedical evacuation units during the Vietnam War (except for one unit that utilized the call-sign “Medevac”). After the formation of the association, the call-sign became an acronym standing for Dedicated and Unhesitating Service to Our Fighting Forces.
The current membership spans the few who are Korean War Veterans, the Vietnam War, the Desert Shield/Desert Storm first Gulf War and the Global War on Terror in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The individual DUSTOFF Association award winners included:
- DUSTOFF Aviation of the Year – CW3 Richard Corley, US Army Air Ambulance Detachment 2-158 AHB, 16th CAB Yakima Training Center, WA.
- DUSTOFF Flight Medic of the Year – SSG William F. Bavetta, USAAAD/1-228th Aviation Regiment, JTF-Bravo, Soto Cano AB, Honduras.
- DUSTOFF Crew Chief of the Year – SSG Brian Green, US Army Air Ambulance Detachment 2-158 AHB, 16th CAB Yakima Training Center, WA
The awards will be presented during the 2022 Annual DUSTOFF Reunion, scheduled for May 18-22. They will be dedicated to Maj. Charles Livingston Kelly, credited with developing early battlefield evacuation techniques during the Vietnam war, and today known as the “Father of DUSTOFF.”
Sikorsky Aircraft, a division of Lockheed Martin, provides trophies for all crewmembers of the DUSTOFF Rescue of the Year award. Air Methods provides funding for the trophy awarded to the Medic of the Year. Breeze Eastern provides funding for the trophy awarded to the Crew Chief of the Year award. Collins Aerospace provides funding for the trophy awarded to the Aviator of the Year.
