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PHOENIX – The Phoenix Fire Department rescued a wounded hiker from a local mountain Tuesday – but not after a spectacular hike on a stretcher while he was being transported in a helicopter.
The 74-year-old woman was rescued after her fall on a hike on Piestewa Peak in Phoenix on Tuesday.
At a press conference later Tuesday, fire officials said the woman had been loaded into a Stokes basket after finding it on the mountain. But the footage shows that when the basket was raised to the helicopter, it began to spin out of control.
"We do mountain rescues all the time, but this one has attracted a lot of attention, because during the rescue, she was wrapped in a basket in a Stokes basket and she started spinning," she said. Deputy Fire Chief Shelly Jamison
About a minute after the start of the rotation, the basket collapsed and the basket was brought near the helicopter crew area, which landed on a parking lot at the foot of Piestewa Peak. The woman was taken to a nearby hospital for assessment.
"Sometimes when we lift the helicopter off the ground, [the basket] will start to turn, "said Paul Apolinar, chief pilot of the aviation department's police department." We have a line attached to the basket that is supposed to prevent that. Today, it has not happened. "
The efforts of the crew to stop the spin made it difficult for the line to prevent the basket from turning at a given moment.
"They tried to stop some of the spin with the line that Paul was talking about, but that did not work and eventually broke," said Derek Geisel, who was flying the helicopter at rescue.
The rotation continued for about 40 seconds as the crew repeatedly attempted to raise and lower the basket.
"When they start to lower the load, [the basket] Geisel said. And then we slowly went back up, it enters the same current descending from the plane and it started to turn again. "
"Once we had the flight forward, the spin arrived at the point where they were able to bring the patient to the aircraft safely," said Geisel.
About a minute after the start of the rotation, the basket collapsed and the basket was brought near the helicopter crew area, which landed on a parking lot at the foot of Piestewa Peak. The woman was taken to a nearby hospital for assessment.
Firefighters said the woman was nauseated and stunned after the rescue but that she was in a stable condition. She had no other tendon-related symptoms, the firefighters said. The fall caused the woman injuries to her face and head.
"[The potential for the basket to spin] This is a phenomenon known in the hoist rescue industry, "said Apolinar, chief pilot." In the last six years, we have used a hoist 210 times for mountain rescue. At this time, we know [a similar situation] pass twice. "
Watch the press conference of the Phoenix Fire Department in the video below.
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