- Jul 20, 2016
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The men and women who serve in specialized guard units rescue people in need around the country and on the water. Their skills and abilities are far beyond us regular folks. Mt. Hood is one of the higher peaks in the Cascade Mountains in the state of Oregon (US), and a frequent destination for hikers and climbers. Weather up there can change quickly, and the mountain rescue teams frequently come to the aid of stranded or injured people.
On July 13th, a man called in for help. He planned to commit suicide with a lethal dose of insulin, but changed his mind. Six mountain rescue volunteers reached him but determined that conditions on the mountain were too unstable to bring down the man. They called in a chopper. This next part of the story is hard to believe. Blackhawk helicopters are used for most rescues; however, as this person was on the summit, a Chinook was the only one that could fly at that altitude. It did not have the gear to hoist the man and rescue team from the summit, and there was no time to get another. It turned out there was not a good place to land, so they needed another solution.
On July 13th, a man called in for help. He planned to commit suicide with a lethal dose of insulin, but changed his mind. Six mountain rescue volunteers reached him but determined that conditions on the mountain were too unstable to bring down the man. They called in a chopper. This next part of the story is hard to believe. Blackhawk helicopters are used for most rescues; however, as this person was on the summit, a Chinook was the only one that could fly at that altitude. It did not have the gear to hoist the man and rescue team from the summit, and there was no time to get another. It turned out there was not a good place to land, so they needed another solution.
They found another snowy spot just below the crest of the Pearly Gates area near the summit. Ford said he and the co-pilot decided to perform a pinnacle maneuver, where the front end of the craft hovers with only its rear wheels touching down. Ford said it’s a routine move that he’d had been training for over his 16 years of aviation experience, which includes serving in the Army.
Ford estimated there was 40 feet between the pilots and the back of the Chinook. Without rearview mirrors, he had to rely on other crew members to make sure the back wheels touched down on the mountain and the rotors were far enough to avoid the mountain and any rescuers.
A 3-foot ramp was used to bridge between the mountain and the plane, Ford said. The pararescue squad met up with the climber and the six mountain rescue volunteers with him, and then they all crouched or crawled onto the Chinook. It took two and a half minutes for everyone to board. The Chinook had 900 pounds of gas left when they landed in Troutdale to refuel.
Ford said he didn’t talk to the climber. He said he and many of his military colleagues have been impacted by suicide in one way or another. “I’m glad he changed his mind and had the presence of mind to call for help,” Ford said. “It’s what the Guard is there for and we will answer that call every time without reservation.”
https://www.oregonlive.com/clackamascounty/index.ssf/2018/07/mount_hood_rescue_pilot_says_s.html#incart_most-readtoday
