Posted on 06/05/2019 9:08:04 AM PDT by simpson96
PHOENIX The Phoenix mountain rescue of a hiker in her 70s created a stir Tuesday when video showed her rescue basket spinning wildly under the helicopter that carried her to safety.
Video of the Piestewa Peak rescue on ABC15s Facebook page had more than 2 million views within six hours of being posted.
First-responders with the Phoenix fire and police departments said extreme spinning was rare during whats called a hoist rescue, but theyve seen it before and have a plan for how to handle it.
Sometimes when we bring the helicopter up from the ground, it will start to spin, so we have a line attached to the basket to help prevent that, Phoenix Police Chief Pilot Paul Apolinar said during a press conference.
Today, it didnt.
Pilot Derek Geisel, who was flying the Phoenix police rescue copter Tuesday morning, said his crew implemented techniques it has learned from previous incidents to mitigate the spinning.
Once we got the forward flight, the spin got quite a bit less to the point where they were safely able to bring the patient up to the aircraft, he said, adding that the landing zone was about a half-mile from where the woman was picked up.
After landing, the patient was treated for dizziness and nausea from the spinning, but the effects werent serious, according to Capt. Bobby Dubnow, a Phoenix Fire Department technical rescue technician who was on the helicopter.
(Excerpt) Read more at ktar.com ...
Round and round
With love we’ll find a way just give it time
Round and round
What comes around goes around
I’ll tell you why
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0u8teXR8VE4
She won’t be hiking again for awhile!
Exactly.
says the guy who got to sit in the helicopter.
This spinning need not occur...Placing a crewman on the ground with a tag line attached to the litter and played out lateral to the helo allows for countering the rotation from rotor wash...
Once the litter is on board the helo, the ground crewman can also be recovered...
Issue is one of procedure...
We had a medevac off our ship in VN. The injured sailor was claiming to be homosexual in order to go home. To keep clear of the rigging they used about 200 ft of cable. The last we saw of this Klinger he was spinning like a top headed to a camp hospital in VN.
Great Story! Has all the key elements: Terrifying, funny as hell, and a happy ending! I kept rooting for the helo to play her out a little more, then reel her in.
You spin me right round, Baby right round, like a record, Baby Round Baby Round Round....
Well, shucks, the alternative was for the old gal to remain marooned. Maybe now she can sue the intrepid rescuers, who have a history of daring rescues.
She needs to be happy she got pulled off that mountain alive, a little dizziness beats dying of heat stroke and dehydration.
Thank you!
I've wondered why there can't be a system of vanes on the litter to, at least partially, counteract the turning force of the rotor wash.
I’ll bet she puked all over something at some point in that episode or other.
“Have you had anything to eat or drink in the last 12 hours?”
“Yes.”
“Sorry. We’ll be back to pick you up later.”
And who keeps him from spinning?
The ground crewman is not in a flat horizontally suspended litter, tethered at its center of gravity...He is hoisted in a vertical or standing position by his harness, and is little affected by the rotor wash...Watch videos of CG rescue swimmers for example being hoisted back on board a helo...Very little spin...
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