Members of the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center assisted in the saving of a life April 16 as it coordinated the rescue response for a glider pilot who crashed in the mountains near Franklin, W.V. Serving as a 24/7 communication hub during ongoing search and rescue missions, the AFRCC staff and its state-of-the-art technology, including network satellites for monitoring emergency locator transmitter signals, helps reduce critical time required to locate and recover people in distress.

The pilot's wife initially reported the crash to the Pennsylvania Civil Air Patrol after receiving a cell phone call from the pilot after he crashed in a mountainous area of West Virginia. The Pennsylvania CAP contacted the AFRCC and then rescue coordination efforts began.

Because of high winds, local National Guard assets could not be used, said an AFRCC official. The West Virginia CAP immediately accepted the mission and dispatched ground teams to the suspected crash area. The search was called off at approximately 8 p.m. because of high winds and nearly zero visibility.

Concerned the pilot may not survive the night, Col. Rodney Moore, the West Virginia CAP wing commander, then decided to return to the mountain to continue the search.

The rescue team located the pilot around dawn. His injuries included multiple broken bones, lacerations, and frost bite. He was carried down the mountain by the team and a Maryland State Police helicopter transported him to a hospital in Cumberland, Md.

The AFRCC was realigned under 1st Air Force to consolidate Air Force support to civilian agencies under a single air component commander. Assigned to Langley AFB, VA, the AFRCC is now consolidated with the 601st Air Operations Center, giving it greater ability to leverage Air Force air and space capabilities that can be applied to search and rescue. The AFRCC operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The center directly ties in to the Federal Aviation Administration's alerting system and the US Mission Control Center.

In addition to the Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking information, the AFRCC computer system contains resource files that list federal and state organizations, which can conduct or assist in SAR efforts throughout North America.

FMI: www.af.mil, www.tyndall.af.mil/, www.acc.af.mil/afrcc/