Flying Blind: Trust Is the Cornerstone for This Alaska Air Rescue Team

"What we didn't want to do was leave him up there for another couple days, because he would have died," the pilot of an Alaska Army National Guard Medevac flight told FLYING.

Kimberly Johnson

Thursday, March 03, 2022 at 06:03 PM ET

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The rescue earned the team the 2021 Rescue of the Year by the DUSTOFF Association. [Courtesy: Capt. Cody McKinney]

Key Takeaways:

An Alaska Army National Guard team successfully rescued a sheep hunter stranded on a narrow mountain ledge for two days during a snowstorm in remote, high-altitude terrain, an act that earned them the 2021 DUSTOFF Association Rescue of the Year.
The UH-60 Black Hawk crew navigated treacherous whiteout conditions at 5,800 feet to locate the hunter on a precarious 3x3 foot ledge, executing a highly technical hoist operation.
The daring rescue required exceptional teamwork, precise flying from the pilot, meticulous hoist operation, and the flight medic's skill in landing directly onto the unstable ledge, all built on absolute trust among the crew.

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Every year, more than 450 search and rescue (SAR) operations are conducted in Alaska, according to Alaska State Troopers, the statutory lead in all SAR efforts in the state. For more than 20 years, the Alaska Army National Guard has been one asset troopers have relied upon for assistance in remote SAR operations.

Last September, troopers turned to Alaska Army National Guard’s Golf Company, Detachment 1, 2-211th General Support Aviation Battalion, 207th Aviation Regiment for help. Medevac Commander and UH-60 Black Hawk Instructor Pilot Capt. Cody McKinney, along with flight medic Sgt. 1st Class Damion Minchaca and helicopter crew chief and hoist operator Staff Sgt. Sonny Cooper were part of a four-person team dispatched to try to rescue a sheep hunter who had been stuck on a ledge for two days. A snowstorm was moving in, and time was running out.