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USAAAD UH-60L aircrew conducts rescue near Gilbert Peak

USAAAD UH-60L aircrew conducts rescue near Gilbert Peak
Archive image: A UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter assigned to U.S. Army Air Ambulance Detachment (USAAAD) – Yakima Training Center, 16th Combat Aviation Brigade flies above Yakima Training Center, Wash.
The unit regularly conducts live hoist training flights to maintain proficiency for military and civil aeromedical evacuation missions.
U.S. Army photo by Capt. Kyle Abraham, 16th Combat Aviation Brigade.
Story by Capt. Kyle Abraham / 16th Combat Aviation Brigade

YAKIMA TRAINING CENTER, Wash. – A UH-60L aircrew assigned to the US Army Air Ambulance Detachment – Yakima (USAAAD), 2-158 Assault Helicopter Battalion, 16th Combat Aviation Brigade performed a rescue (aeromedical evacuation) of a civilian near Gilbert Peak, Wash. on Sept. 21, 2022.

The mission started when the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office requested federal support through the Washington State Emergency Operations Center for a high-powered helicopter with hoist capability to recover an ill hiker in the Goat Rocks Wilderness.

At 3:37 p.m., a USAAAD UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter aircrew departed Yakima Training Center.

“We had to fly near the outer edge of an FAA restricted flying area due to the nearby Goat Rocks Fire,” said Chief Warrant Officer 2 William Craven, USAAAD UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter pilot in command for the rescue mission. “The air was full of smoke, but we were able to spot the patient waving a white sheet; fortunately, we found a place to land about 100 meters away and did not need the hoist.”

USAAAD UH-60L aircrew conducts rescue near Gilbert Peak
Archive image: A UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter assigned to U.S. Army Air Ambulance Detachment- Yakima Training Center, 16th Combat Aviation Brigade hoists a crew member at Yakima Training Center, Wash.
The unit regularly conducts live hoist training flights to maintain proficiency for military and civil aeromedical evacuation missions.
U.S. Army photo by Capt. Kyle Abraham, 16th Combat Aviation Brigade.

At approximately 4:00 p.m. the UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter crew landed and deployed their critical care flight paramedic.

“This was a fairly straightforward mission,” said Maj. Alec DeGroat, USAAAD commander. “We’ve had several technical hoist rescues this year but our crew was able to land which makes this difficult work a little bit easier for our aircrews and the patient.”

The flight paramedic was able to assist the patient, a 58-year-old male that had begun suffering fatigue and dehydration from getting ill, to the Black Hawk helicopter for transport to Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital. The patient is expected to make a full recovery.

The unit is based out of Yakima Training Center in central Washington. USAAAD operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to provide aeromedical evacuation support for thousands of service members training at Yakima Training Center each year.

USAAAD UH-60L aircrew conducts rescue near Gilbert Peak
Archive image: A U.S. Army HH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crew chief, assigned to U.S. Air Ambulance Detachment, 2nd Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, 16th Combat Aviation Brigade, lowers a volunteer from Central Washington Mountain Rescue via the hoist system during training at Yakima Training Center, Washington.
USAAAD and CWMR partner to provide medical evacuation coverage to the nearby mountain and nature areas, which include Mount Rainier, the tallest mountain in the state.
U.S. Army photo by Capt. Brian Harris. 16th Combat Aviation Brigade.

Additionally, the detachment works with the Washington State Emergency Operations Center, local sheriff departments, and civilian volunteers to provide rescue coverage in south-central Washington’s remote wilderness areas.

The life-saving aeromedical evacuation is a collaborative effort. As a detachment with 33 personnel and four aircraft, every member of the team is vital to US Army Air Ambulance Detachment.

The 16th Combat Aviation Brigade operates two aeromedical evacuation units that provide defense support to civil authorities: Yakima Dustoff in central Washington and Arctic Dustoff in central Alaska.

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The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.

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