Naval Air Station Whidbey Island’s Search and Rescue (SAR) flew their first rescue of 2014 on Saturday, Jan. 25 after a 24-year-old man hiking on Mount Baker fell a hundred feet and suffered chest injuries.
When NAS Whidbey Island’s operations department received notification of a potential accident on Saturday, low visibility prevented SAR from launching until late Sunday morning when they learned officials from the Whatcom County Sheriff located the severely injured hiker and were on the scene at an altitude of 4,500 feet.
Once the MH-60S Knighthawk’s crew of five was overhead, the sheriff’s department personnel were able to guide the helicopter overhead. “The ground party gained visual contact on us and was able to vector us directly to their position,” said Lt. Cmdr. Douglas Lof, Helicopter Aircraft Commander, who spotted them on the second pass.
Once in a hover, Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Wayne Papalski rappelled with a medical kit and litter to the injured hiker’s position. After assessing the injured man and prepping him for hoist, the crew flew the victim to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
