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Malmstrom's 40th Helicopter Squadron rescues injured hiker near Montana's highest peak

By 1st Lt. Justin Brockhoff , 341st Space Wing Public Affairs Office / Published August 14, 2007

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MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. -- A UH-1N "Huey" helicopter crew assigned to the 40th Helicopter Squadron from Malmstrom Air Force Base, rescued an injured hiker at approximately 6 p.m. Friday near Cook City, Mont., just north of the Montana-Wyoming border.

The rescue, executed at approximately 9,000 feet, raises the unit's total number of saves to 369 and marks its fourth rescue in 2007. The isolated site was about six miles southwest of Granite Peak, the highest point in Montana, at an elevation of 12,799 feet.

The crew consisted of four members, including Capt. Brian Rhoades, aircraft commander; 1st Lt. Clell Knight, co-pilot; Tech. Sgt. Scott Andrews, flight engineer; and Dr. (Capt.) Mitchell Parrish, flight surgeon. 

Once they arrived on the scene the crew worked closely with ground coordinators who directed the helicopter to the location of the injured hiker.

"We were informed of the general location of the lost hiker and told he would be in a grey tent in a ravine," said Dr. (Capt.) Parrish, who participated in his fifth search and rescue mission Friday. "On arrival we realized locating the hiker would be more difficult than expected. Luckily shortly after arriving in our search area, the ground party was able to reach the patient and then vector us to his position."

The weather was a unique factor that made this rescue difficult, according to Captain Rhoades, citing that the crew had to navigate around thunderstorms and forest-fire smoke to make the extraction.

"If a rescue situation does not lend itself to landing, Malmstrom's UH-1N's have a hoist capability that can raise the victim to the helicopter while it's hovering up to 200 feet above the ground," added Captain Rhoades, who has more than 1,100 hours in the UH-1. "However, for this rescue we assessed the situation on arrival and determined the safest option was to sit [the helicopter] down in a nearby field."

The crew landed approximately 200 yards from the victim and with the assistance of the ground crew moved the injured hiker to the helicopter by stretcher.

"I quickly assessed the patient who was in stable condition with a likely left ankle fracture and right ankle sprain," said Dr. (Capt.) Parrish. "The patient was secured, and we traveled to the [Billings International] Airport where we called ahead for an ambulance to transport the patient to the hospital."

"The entire crew performed very well," said Captain Rhoades, who recorded the second rescue of his career Friday. "The experience and teamwork of the entire air crew ensured mission accomplishment for a very challenging mountain operation."

There are eight Bell UH-1N "Hueys" assigned to the 40th HS. Each aircraft can carry up to 13 people, has a range of more than 300 miles and can weigh up to 10,500 pounds.

The squadron's last save was July 8 when a crew rescued a 19-year-old male who sustained a leg injury while in the Absaroka Range just south of Livingston, Mont.
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