Archive image: An HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopter prepares to land.
U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Abbey Rieves.
Story by Dana Rosso, Alaska National Guard
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska — An Alaska Air National Guard (AKANG) HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopter aircrew conducted the rescue of an injured snowmachiner near Cooper Landing. The search and rescue (SAR) mission was performed on Saturday, February 21, after receiving a request for assistance from the Alaska State Troopers through the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center (AKRCC).
The mission was initiated to recover an injured snowmachiner in the Cooper Landing area, approximately 60 nautical miles south of Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. The Alaska Air National Guard accepted the mission, located the individual, and transported them to Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage for further medical care.
The mission marked the first search and rescue operation conducted by the 210th Rescue Squadron using the HH-60W Jolly Green II, the Air Force’s newest combat rescue helicopter, which is replacing the older HH-60G Pave Hawk. Guardian Angel pararescuemen assigned to the 212th Rescue Squadron were also aboard the aircraft and assisted in the recovery of the injured individual.
Good Samaritans, who were on the ground at the accident site, deployed a signal flare, that helped the rescue helicopter aircrew visually locate the injured individual in the heavily wooded area.
Due to the mountainous terrain, dense tree cover, and deep snow in the area, the helicopter was unable to land near the patient. The HH-60W Jolly Green II aircrew conducted a hoist insertion and extraction of the Guardian Angels and the injured snowmachiner. The patient was extracted using a rescue strop and hoisted into the aircraft.
The Alaska Air National Guard routinely conducts search and rescue operations across the state in support of civil authorities, providing life-saving assistance in some of the most remote and challenging environments in the world.
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