JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska — Alaska Air National Guard members with the 176th Wing rescued the single occupant of a plane crash Sept. 10, approximately 115 miles northeast of Anchorage.
The Alaska Rescue Coordination Center opened a mission in response to a registered 406 MHz emergency locator transmitter signal and subsequent aircraft crash confirmation.
The Alaska Air National Guard accepted the mission and dispatched a 210th Rescue Squadron HH-60G Pave Hawk with 212th Rescue Squadron Guardian Angels on board from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.
The Alaska Rescue Coordination Center also requested support from the Alaska State Troopers. The troopers were first on scene and immediately began assessing the aircraft crash site, rendering medical aid to the occupant and relaying information to the inbound Guard members.
The HH-60 crew arrived at the crash site near the confluence of the Tyone and Big Susitna rivers. After landing in a nearby riverbed, Guardian Angels continued to render medical aid and loaded the downed civilian pilot onto the Pave Hawk. The survivor was then transported and released to Providence Alaska Medical Center.
According to Alaska Rescue Coordination Center personnel, the aircraft owner properly registered the emergency locator transmitter, which facilitated an expedient rescue response following the plane crash.
Emergency locator transmitter registration provides the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center with the aircraft owner’s emergency point-of-contact information that can be used to rule out a false alert or confirm a real emergency.
In the event of a real emergency, registered emergency locator transmitters can facilitate timely rescues by providing direct contact between rescue personnel and the pilot. Timely responses are vital when travelling over Alaska’s vast and rugged terrain, and when medical attention is needed.