Amazing REDCAP last night

[Smithsonia]

http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=142957&catid=339
COWG flew right at dusk into Rocky Mountain National Park which is chock full of 14,000 ft peaks. Everything shut down after dark. Frankly we didn't hold out a lot of hope. Not many planes crash in that terrain and live to tell the tale.

Mike McDonald (Sardak on this board) IC'd the mission. Thompson Valley and Colorado Springs flew the mission. Rocky Mountain National Park Rangers have the mission and rescue now. This is one of the most amazing saves I have ever heard of.
I've been looking at Google Earth for hours trying to find enough space to even crash an airplane into - and survive. Obviously the pilot of the plane did...

[capn_shad]

Amazing!  Thanks for posting this, Ed.  I was transporting cadets home last night at around 2130 and was hearing comm traffic from multiple aircraft over the van radio.  I wondered what on earth we would be doing at that time of night.  Glad to hear the end result was OK!

[Smithsonia]

Here's the update on this story.
http://www.denverpost.com/ci_15476408

I know this territory. I am amazed the pilot and passenger are alive. Heck, I'll betcha you... God is too.

[RiverAux]

New or old ELT?
If old, how was the signal originally detected? 

CO Wing is on a role with the saves:  http://www.capvolunteernow.com/news.cfm/news.cfm/colo_aircrew_spots_missing_hiker_in_rugged_terrain?show=news&newsID=8160

[Smithsonia]

River:
ELT? It was a New 406 ELT and unregistered. (as usual)

[RADIOMAN015]

Gee, perhaps something is missing from the post & the newspaper/TV article, but why did it take Colorado over 6 hours before they launched an aircraft on a 406 mhz hit?

RM

[wuzafuzz]

Gee, perhaps something is missing from the post & the newspaper/TV article, but why did it take Colorado over 6 hours before they launched an aircraft on a 406 mhz hit?

RM

I wasn't there but one of those articles does mention inclement weather...

[sardak]

Gee, perhaps something is missing from the post & the newspaper/TV article, but why did it take Colorado over 6 hours before they launched an aircraft on a 406 mhz hit?

The story has the timeline wrong.
Time from first Sarsat alert to when AFRCC notified COWG - 4.5 hours
Time from COWG notification to signal located/fires spotted - 2.5 hours

Mike

[JoeTomasone]

Kudos to COWG and all personnel involved!    :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

[Smithsonia]

COWG was busy again yesterday.
Colorado Wing was alerted at approximately 13:40 MDT on Saturday, July 17 to assist the Gunnision County Sheriff in
a search for a 54 YO female who failed to show up on Friday after a planned solo 3 day hike in the mountains near
Marble, CO. The female hiker is from Minnesota and was in the state for this hike. She left her cell phone in the car.

CAPF 580 launched with Darrell Vick from Montrose Composite Squadron and Mark Young from RMR HQ as crew. They located
the subject waving a space blanket shelter at 15:50 local. The crew contacted ground teams and directed
the teams to the subject. The ground teams reported the subject had fallen approximately 150 feet and
suffered a broken leg.

CAP 580 was released to RTB with the thanks from the sheriff's SAR team and the Marble FD Rescue team
for a job well done and done quickly.

This will be the fourth save for COWG in less than a month; two in support of Sheriff SAR teams and two
as a result of an aircraft crash in Rocky Mountain National Park. All four were accomplished
quickly, professionally, and safely. The training we all undertake does result in positive saves.

Thanks for the air crew response and the support of the CAP ground personnel who helped with the
logistics. Long-time CAP member Lt Col Joanne Stone was the Gunnison County SAR coordinator for this search.

Bill O'Connor
IC
10-M-0558