FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   RELEASE 23-15

 March 1, 2023 

                                                                                                                                                  

Whidbey SAR Rescues Snowmobiler Near Mount Baker

NAVAL AIR STATION WHIDBEY ISLAND, Wash. – A Search and Rescue (SAR) team from Naval Air Station (NAS) Whidbey Island rescued a 57-year-old man who had a snowmobile accident in the Mt. Baker National Recreation Area the afternoon of Feb. 24, 2023.

The SAR crew received the call for assistance shortly after 4 p.m. that day and were airborne by 4:50 p.m.  The snowmobiler reportedly drove his snowmobile off a steep incline and dropped approximately 15 ft., resulting in several injuries.

After assessing the situation, the rescue team used a dual-man hoist to lift the injured man into the helicopter which transported him to St. Joseph Medical Center in Bellingham, Wash.

Naval Air Station Whidbey Island SAR has conducted two missions this calendar year, one MEDEVAC, and one rescue.

The Navy SAR unit operates three MH-60S helicopters from NAS Whidbey Island as search and rescue/medical evacuation (SAR/MEDEVAC) platforms for the EA-18G aircraft as well as other squadrons and personnel assigned to the installation.  Pursuant to the National SAR Plan of the United States, the unit may also be used for civil SAR/MEDEVAC needs to the fullest extent practicable on a non-interference basis with primary military duties according to applicable national directives, plans, guidelines and agreements; specifically, the unit may launch in response to tasking by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center (based on a Washington State Memorandum of Understanding) for inland missions, and/or tasking by the United States Coast Guard for all other aeronautical and maritime regions, when other assets are unavailable.

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