Helicopter Exercise Runs Into Reality Chopper Goes Down, Injuring 5; Fellow Rescuers Come Through

Sat., June 6, 1998

By Jim Camden jimc@spokesman.com (509) 879-7461

Military rescue exercises in the northeastern Washington forests switched to the real thing Friday when a helicopter taking officers to the area was forced down, injuring five of the seven on board.

Four other helicopters participating in the exercise were diverted to a spot about two miles south of Ione to help the passengers of the downed helicopter.

Two seriously injured officers were returned to Spokane by Air Force rescue helicopters and transferred to MedStar helicopters that took them to Deaconess Medical Center. A third officer was taken by ambulance to Deaconess.

Air Force Capt. William Allen of Fairchild’s 36th Rescue Flight, Navy Ensign Sean Rocheleau and Petty Officer 1st Class Jeff Miele were all in stable condition, said Lt. Amy Haedt, a spokeswoman for Fairchild Air Force Base. Their injuries were not life-threatening.

Fairchild and the Army National Guard facilities at Geiger Field are serving as the staging ground for rescue exercises in the Colville National Forest through June 15. Rescue units from the Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force are participating in the exercises, in which crews try to locate “downed” aviators before they can be found by Marines posing as enemy troops.

A UH-1N Huey from Fairchild was taking a group of administrators to the area Friday morning when it was forced to make a “hard landing.” It came down in rugged terrain, in an area that apparently had been logged, Haedt said.

An Air National Guard helicopter from California, an Air Force Reserve helicopter from Portland, and two Navy helicopters were diverted from the exercise to the crash scene. They hovered over the crash site and hoisted two of the injured officers into helicopters, where they were treated by pararescue experts on board.

The military helicopters were too heavy to land at the hospital helipad, so they landed at Geiger and transferred the injured officers to MedStar helicopters.

The cause of the forced landing is being investigated. The extent of the damage to the helicopter is not yet known.

The annual exercise was suspended Friday pending a review of the landing.

ON HOLD The annual exercise was suspended Friday pending a review of the landing.

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