Malmstrom Crew Makes 355th Save In Southwest Montana
A UH-1N Huey search and rescue crew from the 40th Helicopter
Flight and 341st Medical Group at Malmstrom AFB, MT, recorded their
355th save on a mission in southwest Montana January 3rd.
After several failed rescue attempts by civilians using a
helicopter and a snowmobile, Malmstrom’s crew received a
request Jan. 2 to assist in the rescue of a man who had suffered a
broken leg during an avalanche near the Idaho-Montana boarder Jan.
1.
The team consisted of Maj. Rod Melzer, aircraft commander; Capt.
Richard Allison, co-pilot; Tech. Sgt. Al Davis, flight engineer;
Lt. Col. Steven Goff, flight surgeon; and 2nd Lt. Mark Sqrague,
flight medic.
"Two miles away from the location, low visibility conditions
around the mountain peaks forced us to pull back and land," Captain
Allison said. "We waited on the ground for 20 minutes for the
weather to clear, which increased our visibility of the
mountain."
Once the clouds lifted, the crew began their ascent up the
mountain. They then began searching for the rescue crew on the
ground that was caring for the injured man. During the search, they
were forced refuel at Bozeman.
"We dropped Lieutenant Sqrague off at (a hospital) in Bozeman to
cut down on weight inside the helicopter to increase the aircraft
power margin ... and the added weight of the injured man," Sergeant
Davis (above) said.
The crew then headed back up the mountain to continue their
search. They eventually spotted the rescue party waving a yellow
sleeping bag near a make-shift landing zone.
Once the helicopter was over the site, the rescue crew on the
ground formed a make-shift helipad in the snow to assist in its
landing.
The landing zone was at 8,200 feet, which tested the
capabilities of the aircraft, officials said. Major Melzer set the
helicopter down in the snow while the rest of the aircrew helped
him keep an eye on all the trees that surrounded the campsite.
After being loaded onto the helicopter, the injured man thanked
the entire crew, Sergeant Davis said.
"When I pulled the (stretcher) onboard, the man just kept saying
‘thank you’ over and over again," Sergeant Davis
said.
The crew then flew to Bozeman, to drop the injured man off and
pick up Lieutenant Sqrague.
"The real heroes were the rescue team on the ground who prepped
the traumatized cross-country skier for flight and stabilized him
for the trip," Major Melzer said.
"It feels real good to start the year off with a win like this,"
Captain Allison said.