AKARNG Black Hawk Lands On a Rail Car During Training Exercise

As an odd yet intriguing part of the Special Operation Forces Arctic Medic 2025 training event, a Black Hawk helicopter touched town atop an Alaska Railroad rail car. The crew successfully completed the helo-to-train landing on their first attempt.

“I am absolutely inspired by the Alaska National Guard team, their knowledge, professionalism, willingness to solve problems with minimal guidance to plan any given mission,” expressed Col. Manuel Menendez, Command Surgeon of Special Operations Command North. “The flight crew that landed on the train was not just good, they were amazing and I’m looking forward to my next trip to Alaska to work with them again soon."

The HH-60M Black Hawk, piloted by Chief Warrant Officer 3 JD Miller as PIC and Chief Warrant Officer 2 David Berg as support pilot, tackled the train landing on February 20. The Alaska Railroad rail car was staged on a bridge over the Chena River near Fairbanks, Alaska.

“I think a big part of what we brought to the fight here was our depth of experience working in these cold weather conditions and our ability to work with and coordinate with a multitude of different units to include active-duty troops, federal, state and local agencies,” stated Berg.

Despite this being unfamiliar turf for the crew, they were able to skillfully touchdown on the train’s flatbed car. They were forced to go with a ‘pinnacle landing’ technique due to the lack of space, touching down on their main wheels and using full power to hold their tail wheel in the air. This was an especially impressive accomplishment because, besides the obvious fact that it wasn’t a helipad or runway, the rail car surface was extremely narrow and covered in loose debris.

Once the helicopter landed, soldiers on the train moved in to unload medical supplies. The Black Hawk crew then hoisted their critical care flight paramedic, Staff Sgt. Steven Gildersleeve, onto the train and used the US Coast Guard’s Operational Rescue Containment Apparatus to lift the patient.

SOFAM 2025 was centered around the Yukon Training Area near Fort Wainwright. From February 18 to 21, aviators supported warriors and field surgeons from around the nation to train on cold weather medical procedures.

FMI: https://ak.ng.mil