Sgt. Christopher Burke, UH-60 Black Hawk crew chief, and Master Sgt. Tracy Banta, a flight paramedic with the Tennessee Army National Guard, begin hoisting an injured hiker with severe cold weather injuries into a hovering UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, February 24.
Tennessee Army National Guard photo.
Story by Darrin Haas, Tennessee National Guard
LOUISVILLE, Tenn. – A Tennessee Army National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter aircrew, based at Joint Base McGhee-Tyson, conducted the rescue of a hiker suffering from severe cold-weather injuries in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Tuesday morning, February 24, 2026.
Shortly before 8:30a.m., Eastern time, the Tennessee National Guard and the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency were notified of an injured hiker needing medical assistance and rapid transport to a nearby hospital. The hiker was at the Double Springs Gap Shelter, in a remote area of the park south of Gatlinburg, near the North Carolina border.
Once TEMA was notified of the possible mission, Tennessee National Guardsmen assigned to Task Force Smokey prepared an UH-60 Black Hawk aircrew for the fight. After the rescue mission was approved, the helicopter departed Joint Base McGhee-Tysonat approximately 9:30a.m., flying directly to the scene determined by Park Service Rangers. The Rangers were in contact with the hiker through a Garmin in Reach that the hiker used to send an emergency SOS to initiate the rescue.
The Tennessee Army National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter aircrew consisted of two pilots, Chief Warrant Officer Luke Hargrave and Chief Warrant Officer Corey Holloway, the crew chief, Sgt. Christopher Burke, and two flight paramedics, Master Sgt. Tracy Banta and Sgt. 1st Class Nolan Ogle.
Fifteen minutes after launching, the rescue helicopter aircrew arrived at the Double Springs Gap Shelter and located the hiker. At roughly 9:55 p.m., the Black Hawk crew chief, Christopher Burke, lowered Nolan Ogle, the fight paramedic, to the ground by hoist to do a quick medical assessment and prepare the hiker for transport. After a few minutes rendering aid, the hiker and Ogle were then hoisted into the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter hovering above where first aid was continued. When everyone was safe on board, the rescue helicopter aircrew transported the patient to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville.
At approximately 10:25a.m., the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter landed at the medical center where medical personnel rushed the patient into the emergency room. Once the patient was safely in the care of medical professionals, the rescue aircrew returned to Louisville and landed just before 11:00a.m.
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