Archive image: An MH-60S Knighthawk, assigned to Naval Air Station Whidbey Island’s Search and Rescue Unit (SAR) lands during a disaster preparedness and response exercise at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport organized by the Port of Seattle.
The drill is required every three years by the Federal Aviation Administration.
U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class John Hetherington.
NAVAL AIR STATION WHIDBEY ISLAND, Wash. – A Search and Rescue (SAR) MH-60S Knighthawk helicopter aircrew from Naval Air Station (NAS) Whidbey Island conducted the rescue of an Army Soldier who was on a training exercise with his unit in the Okanagan Mountain range on June 5, 2024.
The soldier’s unit requested transport to a medical facility after he had trouble breathing and lost consciousness.
The SAR aircrew launched from Ault Field at approximately 9:45 that morning and arrived on scene just before 10:20. A bystander with orange flags guided them to a spot at an elevation of 5300 ft. above sea level where the helicopter pilot conducted a one-wheel partial landing so the rescue team could depart and check on the patient. The rescue MH-60S Knighthawk team discovered the man was suffering from shortness of breath, dehydration, nausea and chest pains.
The rescue helicopter aircrew immediately prepped the man for extraction. He and the rescue team were hoisted into the SAR helicopter around 10:55 and arrived at St. Joseph’s in Bellingham just after noon.
NAS Whidbey Island SAR team
Naval Air Station Whidbey Island SAR has conducted 10 missions this calendar year, which includes 3 medevac missions, 2 searches and 5 rescues.
The Navy SAR unit operates three MH-60S Knighthawk helicopters from NAS Whidbey Island as search and rescue / medical evacuation (SAR / MEDEVAC) platforms for the EA-18G Growler aircraft as well as other squadrons and personnel assigned to the installation.
Pursuant to the National SAR Plan of the United States, the unit may also be used for civil search and rescue / medical evacuation needs to the fullest extent practicable on a non-interference basis with primary military duties according to applicable national directives, plans, guidelines and agreements; specifically, the unit may launch in response to tasking by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center (based on a Washington State Memorandum of Understanding) for inland missions, and / or tasking by the U.S. Coast Guard for all other aeronautical and maritime regions, when other assets are unavailable.
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