CAMP DENALI, Alaska - Airmen with the Alaska Air National Guard's 210th, 211th, and 212th Rescue Squadrons rescued a man who went missing while snowmobiling near Koliganek, Alaska, Jan. 2.
Alaska State Troopers searched for the missing man when they were notified that he did not arrive at his planned destination of Levelock Wednesday afternoon, but were unable to locate him.
"He did the right thing by letting people know where he was going and when he was supposed to return," said Lt. Col. Karl Westerlund, director of the 11th Air Force Rescue Coordination Center, Alaska Air National Guard.
With nightfall hindering the search effort, the AST requested assistance from the National Guard's Rescue assets at 10:50 p.m.
"The Troopers requested the help of the Guard because of our full suite of capabilities to search at night," Westerlund said.
The Alaska National Guard responded by launching an HC-130 King aircraft from the 211th Rescue Squadron and an HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter from the 210th Rescue Squadron, each with a team of pararescuemen from 212th Rescue Squadron, from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.
The teams flew to the area and began searching for the missing man until they located him about five miles east of the remote village of Koliganek, Westerlund said.
The HH-60 crew picked the man up and flew him back to Koliganek, where he was released to the state police about 5 a.m., Westerlund said. He was in good condition and did not need any medical attention.
"He left a good trip plan, and that helped us search for him," said Westerlund, "but if he had a 406 personal locator beacon, we would have been able to go directly to his location. He could have been home in time for dinner."
The members of the 210th, 211th, and 212th Rescue Squadrons were awarded with one save for the mission.