Climber Suffered A Broken Leg At Over 19 Thousand Feet

On Thursday, May 12, 2011, an AS350 B3 helicopter from Denali National Park & Preserve performed a high-altitude rescue on Mt. McKinley of an injured climber, who had broken his leg in a fall near the summit. It was one of the highest rescues ever recorded on Mt. McKinley.

"We would like to commend the pilot and everyone involved in this extraordinary rescue," stated Marc Paganini, President and CEO of American Eurocopter. "Eurocopter helicopters are designed and built to meet and exceed the demanding missions of our customers. Rescues like this show the commitment of our customers to doing what it takes to complete the mission and their confidence in our aircraft."

The helicopter is provided and operated by TEMSCO Helicopters Inc. from Ketchikan, Alaska, on an exclusive-use contract to the National Park Service (NPS) in Denali National Park & Preserve and is primarily used for mountain rescues. This rescue occurred at 19,833 ft. The summit of Mt. McKinley is at 20,320 ft., and it is known for inclement weather conditions.

The pilot of the AS350 B3 was Andreas Hermansky, a TEMSCO (Timber, Exploration, Mining, Survey, Cargo Operations) employee, and he knew that this was not going to be a routine rescue.

"With a rescue of this magnitude at this altitude, the mission is very complex," he said. With gusting winds and temperatures well below zero, confidence in the aircraft and the pilot's and the rescue team's abilities is a must. Hermansky explained that to be ready for a rescue at this altitude, he had gotten to know the area, the aircraft and its performance at altitude with flights to the summit. "Rescues up here are so much more than just flying. I have landed on the summit a couple of times in various conditions, so I was comfortable with the aircraft and knew it could handle this mission."

Mt. McKinley is a popular mountain for climbers from around the globe, and more than 1000 have registered to climb it this year alone. Joe Reichert, Denali National Park Ranger and South District Helicopter Manager, explained that each year they conduct evacuations from several locations and altitudes on the mountain. "We have on average about 15 to 20 evacuations and SAR missions each year. The AS350 B3 provides us with the high-altitude performance we need to cover Mt. McKinley and the extreme conditions we encounter. The most recent high-altitude rescue is a perfect example of that."

TEMSCO has three AS350 B3s in its fleet, and a fourth will be delivered at the end of May.

FMI: www.eurocopter.com