He Had Fallen Into A Steep, Deep Mountain Canyon While On A Recreational Hike

Senior Airman Jake Rodenhaber, and his friend Airman Michael Hejmanowski, were hiking near Bruneau Canyon outside Boise, ID recently when Rodenhaber fell  more than 400 feet into the 1,200-foot-deep canyon. Hejmanowski ran 10 miles to seek help, but by nightfall, ground rescue squads had been unable to find him.

Boise-Based Air Methods' lead pilot Jim Wright was dispatched to transport Rodenhaber, who had managed to call 911 from his cell phone, to the hospital. However, the cell coverage was weak in the canyon. Ground crews were searching in the area where Hejmanowski had left his friend to find help. Spotlights powered by generators flooded the canyon below, but they were unable to locate him.

"When I arrived I saw all the ground crew lights, and saw the efforts that were underway," said Wright. "I instructed the ground crew to shut off all generators, lights and equipment. We would try to call the cell phone and use a bull horn to instruct airman Rodenhaber to turn his cell phone towards the helicopter."

A pair of night vision goggles, and training from Aviation Specialties Unlimited, (ASU), helped save the Airman's life.

Wright and his team were there to transport Rodenhaber, not as part of a search and rescue effort. But no other helicopters were available in the vicinity. The helicopter took off about a quarter of a mile from the site and made a pass through the area. With all other lights shut off, Wright was able to see the glow from Rodenhaber's cell phone with the night vision goggles, pinpointing his location.

"I would not have been able to spot him without the goggles from ASU. I was able to see the light source from his phone. It was like spotting a black tire in the middle of the desert. The ground crew could not see him because he was concealed by an overhang."

Once the hiker had been located, Wright turned on his spotlight and radioed the rescue squad below. He flashed his lights to let Rodenhaber know that he had been found. "ASU's training taught us how to fly safely using the night vision goggles," Wright said. "They also taught us when to use our lights and when not to, about depth perception, scanning techniques and normal safety procedures with night vision goggles. They did an excellent job training us."

ASU says the recent rescue reiterates the need for night vision goggles to be used for night flights. "This Airman was in our home town and I am glad our training and equipment helped to save his life," said ASU founder and President Mike Atwood. "This is a prime example of why night vision goggles are so important to the safety and security of night flights."

Eleven hours after his fall, ground crews successfully retrieved Rodenhaber, and Air Methods transported him to the nearest hospital. He continues to recover.

FMI: www.asu-nvg.com