A Search and Rescue team from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island assisted in the rescue of an injured hiker off Mount St. Helens on July 27, the base reported.

Late on the night of July 26, the SAR team received a request for assistance for a 63-year-old hiker who broke his ankle while trekking on the southern rim of Mount St. Helens at an altitude over 7,500 feet. Mount St. Helen’s Volcano Rescue Team made the request for aerial transport to a lower elevation recovery area due to the steep rocky terrain and high altitude.

The SAR team launched just after midnight on July 27 and arrived on scene about shortly after 1 a.m. Upon arrival, the SAR crew immediately spotted lights used by the members of the Volcano Rescue Team who had reached the patient’s location.

After making a visual inspection of the area to determine the best course of action, the crew conducted a one-wheel landing on a mountain-side shoulder to insert two SAR team members with a litter.

While the SAR rescue team worked to secure the injured hiker, the SAR aviators conducted another in-flight visual inspection to scope out the landing area where an ambulance was waiting to transport the patient. Once the rescue team was ready for pickup, the aviators conducted a second approach to a hover over the injured hiker and hoisted both him and the team from the side of the mountain.

The SAR crew then dropped the patient off with the ambulance crew shortly before 2 a.m. and returned to base by 4 a.m.

Naval Air Station Whidbey Island SAR has conducted 23 missions this calendar year, which includes one MEDEVAC, four searches and 18 rescues.