Press release from U.S. Coast Guard Sector Humboldt Bay:

Late Saturday night, July 25, the crew of CG-6564 from Coast Guard Sector Humboldt Bay was scrambled for a critical, time-sensitive MEDEVAC: a 72-year-old male experiencing acute, life-threatening stroke symptoms near Caribou Lake in the Trinity Alps Wilderness. Ground rescue crews were facing a multi-hour response followed by a grueling six-to-seven-mile high-altitude hike. Knowing the patient’s survival depended on getting to higher-level care immediately, the aircrew stripped non-essential gear to maximize performance in the thin mountain air and launched into the night.

Navigating through mountain passes exceeding 8,900 feet, the crew battled severe visual illusions, constantly shifting between deep mountain shadows and blinding Night Vision Goggle washout from the poorly angled moon. With the patient and his son in a narrow valley campsite surrounded by 150-foot trees, standard landing or hoisting options were quickly ruled out. In a display of incredible airmanship, the pilots executed a precarious one-wheel landing on a razor-thin, 10-to-20-foot wide steep ridgeline to insert the Rescue Swimmer at ~6050 feet MSL. To guide the swimmer through the pitch-black wilderness, the crew deployed a visual trail of chemical lights through the dense canopy, enabling him to bushwhack 1.2 miles through steep, wildlife-populated terrain with 70 pounds of gear to reach the patient.

While the swimmer escorted the patient back toward the ridge, the flight crew completed a rapid refueling evolution in Redding before returning to the scene. Fighting intense rotor-wash, brownout conditions, single digit power margins, and sliding loose rock, the right seat pilot held another continuous, precise one-wheel landing on the ridge at 6100 feet MSL to load the patient and the swimmer. Demanding nearly all available engine power, the aircraft cleared the 150-foot trees, flying directly to Shasta Hospital to deliver the patient to waiting medical personnel. After navigating low-visibility coastal fog back to Arcata, the crew safely shut down at 0430L.

Bravo Zulu to the aircrew of CG-6564 for their extraordinary airmanship, quick thinking, and unwavering courage under extreme conditions! Coast Guard Aviation at its finest! It was AST3 Regan Lowndes very first SAR case in the US Coast Guard!

Crew:
PIC/Right Seat: LCDR Mitchell Dow
CP/Left Seat: CDR Josh Smith
Flight Mechanic: AMT2 Jacob Eash
Rescue Swimmer: AST3 Regan Lowndes