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Alaska State Troopers had received word that the 57-year-old man, who was at the cabin with his son, needed medical attention. Troopers contacted the 11th Rescue Coordination Center, operated by the Alaska Air National Guard, at 3:30 a.m., and National Guard personnel in an HH-60 Pavehawk helicopter and HC-130 Hercules aircraft flew north out of Kulis Air National Guard Base in Anchorage at 5:45 a.m., according to a National Guard news release.
Bad weather north of Talkeetna forced the helicopter to return to Kulis, but the HC-130 continued to the cabin, located near the Bear Paw River. As the airborne rescue squad headed north, the man's son reported that his father's condition was worsening and that his father's breathing was shallow.
“We spoke with an emergency room doctor at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital and the doctor's opinion was the patient's condition was critical and required immediate assistance,” said Capt. Andy Williams, senior controller at the Rescue Coordination Center.
Pararescuemen from the 212th Rescue Squadron parachuted to the cabin.
“We made three airdrops over the area to include two pararescuemen, medical supplies and oxygen bottles,” Williams said. “We still needed to get the man to a hospital though, so we asked for support from Joint Task Force Alaska.”
Joint Task Force Alaska, which is the unified command of active-duty military forces in the state, ordered personnel from Fort Wainwright to assist. Two pilots, a crew chief, and a medic — all from 16th Combat Aviation Brigade — left the Fairbanks Army post in a UH-60 helicopter to retrieve the patient and the pararescue team. All were loaded aboard the helicopter at the scene at 11:38 a.m., according to the Guard's news release.
The man, whose name has not been released, was being treated at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital.
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