Texas SAR Craft Located Family In Guadalupe Mountains

The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) announced that a family of hikers was rescued by search and rescue (SAR) aircraft after finding themselves stranded in the Guadalupe Mountains in southwest Texas.

On the afternoon of August 20, Guadalupe Mountains National Park Rangers alerted DPS’s Aircraft Operations Division (AOD) of a family of hikers in distress on the side of Guadalupe Peak. The family of three included a male and female, both 23-years of age, and a 3-month old infant. They began their hike in the morning and by mid-afternoon, nine miles into their hike, ran out of water and began experiencing symptoms of dehydration and heat exhaustion because of high temperatures at the park that day.

The AOD dispatched a Pilatus PC-12 to locate the hikers, and when the crew quickly found them they requested a helicopter for more assistance.

When the Airbus H-125 helo arrived, a Tactical Flight Officer (TFO) was lowered to perform a medical assessment on each person. The TFO determined that a hoist rescue was the best course of action, and all three were hoisted and transported down the mountain to ground rescue teams for further medical care.

A dramatic aerial video clip posted to the DPS Facebook page shows the couple lying along a trail with the baby and a helicopter circling overhead.

The AOD has over 100 personnel and is one of the largest airborne law enforcement units in the nation.

It numbers 12 duty stations operating 26 aircraft with state-of-the-art sensor technology and other equipment, as well as more than 350 UAS systems.

FMI:  www.dps.texas.gov/