CAMP DENALI, Alaska, - The Alaska National Guard and U.S. Army teamed up today to recover an Alaska Army National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter disabled on Knik Glacier.
On Aug. 10, the Black Hawk slid and rolled over on the glacier near the 8,500-foot level, while it was attempting to rescue five people involved in an aircraft mishap Aug. 8. None of the three crew members onboard the helicopter was injured during the rollover.
A CH-47 Chinook helicopter from the 16th Combat Aviation Brigade out of Ft. Wainwright, Alaska, will be lifting the Black Hawk off Knik Glacier.
Pararescuemen from the Alaska Air National Guard's 212th Rescue Squadron landed at the site earlier today to mark the safety zone for the recovery process. In addition, two Soldiers from the Alaska Army National Guard's 297th Reconnaissance and Surveillance are on the glacier preparing the area.
An HC-130 aircraft from the Alaska Air National Guard's 211th Rescue Squadron will fly over head as a safety precaution and to provide additional communication assets.
A team of Alaska Army National Guardsmen along with active-duty Soldiers from the Pathfinder School at Fort Benning, Ga., will be preparing the Black Hawk for extraction and performing safety preparations on the glacier.
The Soldiers from the Pathfinder School, which teaches students about operating helicopter landing zones and sling load operations, happen to be in Alaska conducting a course.
Once the Black Hawk is properly secured to the Chinook, it will be flown to the Palmer Municipal Airport. From there, the Black Hawk will be loaded onto an Alaska Air National Guard flat bed truck and transferred to Bryant Army Guard Airfield on Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson, where an accident investigation team will examine the damaged helicopter.
In addition to these resources, the Alaska Army National Guard is providing logistical support and the Rescue Coordination Center will be monitoring the recovery process. An Alaska Air National Guard HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter, two Alaska Army National Guard HU-60 Black Hawk helicopters and a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter from the 16th Combat Aviation Brigade will be on standby to assist and transport people if needed.
In all, 12 people were stranded on the glacier at one point - five individuals who were sightseeing, three crew members from the Alaska Army National Guard and four Alaska Air National Guard pararescuemen.
By Aug. 11, everyone had been safely rescued from Knik Glacier. The Alaska Air National Guard was awarded eight saves for that mission.