— from Mike Welding, Whidbey Naval Air Station —
A Search and Rescue (SAR) team from Naval Air Station (NAS) Whidbey Island rescued a 59-year-old man on Snag Tooth Ridge in the Okanogan Mountains Monday evening, June 22, 2017.
NAS Whidbey’s SAR unit departed from the base just before 8 p.m. after making preparations for the mission following notification from the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center. The Navy team arrived on scene about half an hour after liftoff and located the man at an altitude of 8,000 ft. above sea level, approximately 200 ft. below a large rock overhang. The high altitude, rock overhang and the man’s injuries, made the rescue one of the more challenging for NAS Whidbey’s SAR unit this year.
“He was literally in the worst possible place,” said Lt. Kyle Odom, the SAR mission commander. The rock overhang prevented a direct hover above the victim who was unable to move due to a broken arm and broken leg. The helicopter was finally able to get into a safe position on its third approach, lower a crewmember to scene, then successfully evacuate the injured man and fly him to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
This was the fourteenth rescue of 2017 for NAS Whidbey Island SAR, which has also conducted four searches and 14 Medical Evacuation (MEDEVAC) missions this year.
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