"said that he slowed the helicopter to about 30 knots in an attempt to gain
reference using a mountain range on the left of the helicopter, and the accident site
of N6007S. He said that the helicopter struck the unseen snow-covered ice field,
slid about 50 feet, nosed over, and rolled to the left."
xix
All 4 occupants survived. They dug a snow cave and prepared to wait out the storm.
After losing contact with the third helicopter, the base manager contacted the Alaska State
Troopers, and a search was begun. A command post was activated. Fixed base operators, Coast
Guard, 4 helicopter companies, Juneau Mountain Rescue, SEADOGS, Civil Air Patrol, FAA, the
hospital and the fire department were alerted that a helicopter was on the ground due to a
mechanical, all 6 passengers were Ok, and 2 other helicopters were missing. A winter storm had
begun, with snow and wind forecasted for the next three days. The ceiling was 4,200' and
dropping. Alaska state Incident Command asked Juneau Mountain Rescue to prepare to climb
into the storm with tents, food, clothing and medical supplies to support the passengers of the first
aircraft. The Air Operations Manager sent several Helicopters into the area, but weather pushed
them back.
Juneau Mountain Rescue was airlifted to 4,200' and began their climb. They found the first crash
site in the dark shortly before 11:00 p.m. that night. At this point there were 19 people on the
glacier for the evening - nine rescue mountaineers, and ten subjects of helicopter crashes
The next morning, a HH-60 Coast Guard helicopter rescued the six survivors of the initial crash by
hoist. The Coast Guard and another flight-seeing helicopter rescued the remaining crash victims
from the other two flight-seeing aircraft.
The Coast Guard, Alaska State Troopers (AST), Temsco Helicopters Inc. and several
other public and private agencies coordinated a two-fold search and rescue mission to
safely evacuate all ten stranded people from Juneau Ice Field
xx
.
The base manager was recognized for his support and effective management of the Air
Operations division of the Incident Management Team. Members of the rescue team were
awarded the Coast Guards second highest national medal for heroism. The company has since
redesigned the antenna system on the A-Star series aircraft to allow for manual operation; radar
altimeters have been installed; and each pilot carries a handheld radio.
xxi
"Insufficient power at that altitude"
On October 2, 1999, a 3 year-old boy had become separated from his family in a heavily wooded
area in the Cameron Pass area of Colorado. The next day, searchers called for a UH-1N Huey
helicopter from F.E. Warren Air Force Base, WY.
According to the NTSB preliminary report, the helicopter:
...departed F.E. Warren Air Force Base en route to the search area, approximately 60
miles SSW of the base. Following a briefing at the search and rescue command post, the
crew flew two sorties over the search and rescue area. After refueling, the crew returned
to the SAR area and began their final sortie. Shortly after crossing the base camp for a
pass up the valley, the mission co-pilot felt the helicopter sinking. He pulled up to
