Moody's 58th RQS, 66th RQS rescue fallen climber at Zion National Park

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Aileen Carter
  • Nellis Public Affairs
NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. --  In a matter of three hours, a crew of seven boarded a helicopter to save a complete stranger at Zion National Park, Utah, May 9. The crew members were Nellis Airmen from the 66th and the 58th Rescue Squadrons; the mission was to rescue a climber who had fallen 25 feet and sustained spinal and neck injuries.

Capt. Chris Richardson, an HH-60G Pavehawk helicopter pilot of this rescue mission from the 66th RQS, said the phone call came approximately at noon, and he reported to duty less than an hour. At this time, a final notification from the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center was all that was needed to proceed with the rescue.

While on standby, Pavehawk maintainers hurried to prepare a helicopter for this mission. An aerial gunner and a flight engineer from the 66th RQS and three pararescuemen from the 58th RQS worked in unison to sort out and pack all the equipment needed and perform pre-flight inspections to the helicopter assigned for this mission.

At 3 p.m., the crew was given the green light.

"It took us one hour on the button to get up there; we landed at an LZ [landing zone], about six and a half miles away from where the injured person was located, where ambulances and medics were waiting for us," Captain Richardson said. "My PJ's [pararescuemen] and aerial gunner got out and got the data dump from the medics. Within five minutes, we were headed to where the patient was. "

But the rescue mission was not met without challenges.

"The difficult part was because it's in a box canyon, the winds were blowing with cliffs on each side - we couldn't land," Captain Richardson said. "During the first approach [of rescue], we were too heavy, the power wasn't very good and we started to sink."

"It was high altitude [and wind and power had to be placed in consideration], there was only one way in and one way out," said Senior Airman Phillip Schwoob, an HH-60G Pavehawk helicopter aerial gunner from the 66th RQS.

Another approach was made from a different route, and this time the helicopter was able to hover above a targeted area to deploy three pararescuemen safely to extract the injured climber.

To maintain a safety cushion around the hovering aircraft during its approach Airman Schwoob and Tech. Sgt. Dan Cruz, an HH-60G Pavehawk helicopter flight engineer from the 66th RQS, provided a 360- degree view and navigation of the left and right side.
Once in position, Sergeant Cruz lowered the litter and three pararescuemen from the 58th RQS, Tech. Sgt. Robert Roberts, Senior Airman Michael Lindsay and Senior Airman August O'Niell.

It took less than 20 minutes to extract the injured climber once the pararescuemen landed. Then, he was flown to the landing zone, where medics and an ambulance transported him to Dixie Regional Medical Center, St. George, Utah, said Captain Richardson.

"The CRM [crew resource management] was perfect," said Captain Richardson. "The guys [crew members] were saying what they needed to say and doing what they needed to do."

The success of this rescue mission was a combined effort that began from the coordination of Nellis leadership and the U.S. National Park Service members with Zion National Park, the Pavehawk maintainers and the rescue crew, Captain Richardson said.

"This is my first [mission],"said Airman Schwoob. "It's the greatest feeling in the world."
"There's no one in the unit that shies away from a mission, when it comes to it,"
Sergeant Cruz said. "We do so much training - it would be months before we actually get a real world [mission]. Usually, people fight to get on a mission, and when you come into work Monday everyone gives you hell because you got to do a mission."

"The motto of combat search and rescue is 'these things we do that others may live' and that applies not just to fighter pilots that need rescue but to everybody - whether it be a civil servant or someone in combat," Captain Richardson said. "We're here for everybody. We get trained on a daily basis for things like this. It's a pleasure to be able to use our skills to accomplish the mission and make sure that somebody safely returns home."

This rescue marks the second mission that the 66thand 58th RQS have helped with this year. The first mission occurred May 1, when Nellis Airmen helped locate a downed motorized sailplane that was missing for six days in Mono County, Calif.

The 58th and 66th Rescue Squadrons are geographically separated units from the 23rd Wing.