Coast Guard Helo Crashes in Utah Mountains

[sardak]

Flight of two, one crashed, the second landed to assist and to transport the injured. They were returning to New Jersey after assisting at the Olympics. Another report states their next stop was Leadville, Colorado, the highest airport in North America (9927').

http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_14504911?source=rss
Dispatchers got a 911 call about 10:30 a.m. from a third party who had received text messages from the remaining Guardsmen on the ground, Hales said. The communication came in text messages because the area does not have cell phone coverage. Crews reached the area shortly before noon.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700013644/Coast-Guard-helicopter-crashes-in-Wasatch-County.html

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=9879701

Mike

[NIN]

My first thought was "The Coast Guard in Utah? Did they decide that the Great Salt Lake gets coverage like, say, Lake Michigan?"

[Mustang]

How can one send a text message if there is no cell phone coverage???

[davidsinn]

How can one send a text message if there is no cell phone coverage???

Easy. Not enough throughput for voice but more than enough to squirt out a few 160 byte messages. I have it happen all the time here.