Team rescues five during night mission
SOUTHWEST ASIA (ACCNS) -- Battling darkness, a dust storm and unforgiving terrain, Air Force Combat Search and Rescue forces here saved of five Soldiers who were stranded when their helicopter crash-landed in southeastern Iraq.
Two HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters from the 64th Expeditionary Rescue Squadron took off before dawn April 16 to find the Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter.
When we started the mission, there was decreased visibility coupled with near-zero illumination, said 1st Lt. Bryan Creel, 64th ERQS lead pilot. We didnt know exactly where they were. We only knew there were five on board the aircraft and didnt know if any had survived the crash.
Twenty miles from the crash site, visibility got worse as the rescue crews encountered the the same sand storm that brought down the Chinook. The crews used their Forward Looking Infra-Red system, or FLIR, for terrain and obstacle avoidance. Both CSAR crews flew over the crash site and saw a signal on the ground.
We were all relieved when we saw the signal. We knew someone was alive, but thats when we lost sight of the survivors, the ground and the other helicopter in less than 1/8 mile visibility. Neither the FLIR, nor the night vision goggles helped, said Lieutenant Creel.
Unable to authenticate with the people on the ground and with the rapidly reduced visibility conditions, the rescue team flew a few miles north of the wreckage and found a ground reference so they could safely descend to a lower altitude -- they knew it was the only way they could make it back to the site they marked.
We came back to the signal flying low and slow. We even needed to use our infrared searchlight for illumination. Robby (Capt. Robby Wrinkle, pilot of the trailing HH-60) and I could only see about 200 meters in front of our aircraft. Robby was able to rejoin with me and we both continued to where we saw the signal, said Lieutenant Creel.
In the low-visibility environment, the rescue team decided to land for pick up instead of rappelling or using the on-board hoist.
We quickly set up security and defensive measures and deployed to assess the medical conditions of the crashed helicopter crew, said Staff Sgt. Matthew Leigh, lead pararescueman on flight lead.
Though theyd been stranded for more than four hours, the five Soldiers were in good condition and had sustained only minor injuries.
With the downed aircraft crew on board both rescue helicopters, despite the relief we felt, we all knew it wasnt over yet, said Lieutenant Creel.
The rescue team was attacked twice on the return flight, but returned safely.
Our flight down the taxiway turned out to be the only uneventful part of the mission, said Lieutenant Creel.