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Posted on 05/30/2002 2:20:40 PM PDT by B Knotts
A tragic event happened on Mt. Hood at about 1:50 p.m. A National Guard Black Hawk helicopter crashed while trying to leave the site of a rescue, above a crevasse, where nine climbers fell this morning.
The helicopter appeared to be attempting to leave the scene. While the craft was turning, blades from the chopper clipped the mountainside and the craft tumbled down the steep slope.
Sgt. Alan Alderman with the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office was monitoring the helicopter radio transmissions. "I heard 'chopper's going down, chopper's going down. Blackhawk down,'" he explained to kgw.com.
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The craft is now sitting on it's top, upside down, on a snow field. A number of climbers and rescuers have now reached the crash site. The helicopter was carrying five National Guard crew members, there were no rescuers aboard. The crew included one pilot, a co-pilot and three others.
The cabin of the Black Hawk appears to be well-intact, possibly indicating the crew may have survived.
A Lifeflight helicopter is now on its way to the mountain.
More details on the crash to follow.
Here's the latest on the rescue situation surrounding the climbers:
Rescuers are airlifting critically injured climbers off Mt. Hood in a high-elevation rescue from a deep crevasse near the summit.
Officials confirmed three people are dead, four are in critical condition and two others are less serious. The injured include an assistant fire marshall and four off-duty firefighters, according to officials at the scene.
Crews aboard two Black Hawk helicopters hovering over the crevasse are working to airlift the critical patients off the mountain one-by-one. One man was already rescued and transported to Legacy Emanuel Hospital with severe head and abdominal injuries. A second patient arrived at Legacy at 1:49 p.m., also with possible head injuries. Doctors at Oregon Health and Science Univeristy remain on standby.
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The view from Sky8 showed the helicopter crews carefully lifting each patient, strapped into a stretcher, from the crevasse into the helicopter. Earlier, the crew attempted to drop equipment to the trapped climbers.
Meantime, a team of specially-trained rescue climbers set up a triage unit on the snow-covered mountainside. They reached the crevasse with help from two CAT snow tractors. A separate group of ski patrollers skied to the accident scene with radios to help in communication efforts.
"We're equipped with oxygen tanks, basic life support and specialized climbing gear,” rescuer Steve Rollins said as he rode with his team toward the crevasse in a CAT. "When we reach them, we will set up snow anchors and put on climbing harnesses and then rappel into the crevasse. We are trained in technical rescues… There is always inherent risk for us.”
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Rollins, from Portland Mountain Rescue, said conditions on the mountain are getting more risky by the moment. Temperatures continue to rise, impacting the stability of the glacier.
"It’s getting quite hot which is raising avalanche hazards as well as rock fall and ice fall hazards," Rollins said.
Paramedic Called for Help
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A paramedic climbing along the crevasse managed to make the call for help on a cell phone this morning. He works for Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue and was climbing with a group of friends who also work for Tualatin Valley. That climbing party included the assisant fire marshall, three firefighters, a fitness expert, and the paramedic who made the call, according to authorities.
He told authorities seven climbers fell into the deep crack in the glacier and it looked as though at least one person was dead, according to Angie Blanchard, spokeswoman for the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office. The climbers were linked together with safety ropes in two separate groups.
“He is constantly giving us information,” Blanchard said of the paramedic on the cell phone. “He told us the location and conditions of the people… several have injuries."
The paramedic was the only person in the two climbing parties who did not fall into the crevasse that is 20-30 feet deep.
Deep Crack in the Glacier
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The crevasse is located about 800 feet below the top of Mt. Hood above Hot Rocks and Crater Rock near the last pitch to the summit. (See map below.) It is a well-known hazard on the mountain and usually grows in size as the glacier recedes in warmer temperatures.
"It opens up in the base of final summit to the top of the mountain," said Dave Mull with the American Medical Response rescue team. He said the deep bergchrund-classified crevasse is well-known to climbers who frequent Mt. Hood.
Mull led a team of five to the injured climbers. They boarded a CAT snow tracter at Timberline that took them as high as possible. The experienced climbers then hiked the final stretch and hope to reach the crevasse around noon.
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"Our job when we first reach them is to evaluate their injuries. If it's safe to stabilize them where they're at, we will. If not, we will attempt to move them to a safer location and stabilize their injuries there," Mull said.
Accident Happened This Morning
The climbers were slowly making their way along the mountainside when the accident happened just after nine this morning.
The Clackamas County Search and Rescue Unit set up a command post at Timberline Lodge where they are planning and leading the rescue effort.
“They’re very high up so it’s going to be very difficult to reach them,” Blanchard said. “The plan may include the assistance of a helicopter as well as a team from Portland Mountain Rescue who will go in on foot.” She said Pacific Northwest Search and Rescue may help as well.
Conditions on the mountain are sunny and clear, according to KGW Meteorologist Dave Salesky. "At the 7,000 foot elevation, the temperature is 42 degrees. The wind is blowing out of the northwest at 15 miles per hour."
But Blanchard said it may still take a while to get to the climbers because of their precarious, high-elevation location.
Authorities are not releasing names or hometowns of the climbers, pending notification of relatives.
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Very Popular Climbing Area
Mt. Hood is located about 50 miles east of Portland. It's one of the most climbed glaciated peaks in North America. Most climbers use the south side route which begins at the 5,800' Timberline Lodge parking area. At less than three miles, this is the shortest route to the summit.
Above the the Palmer ski lift there are three variations of the main climbing route. The Hogsback/Pearly Gates route is used when an area known as the Pearly Gates is congested or if climbers looking for more of a challenge, according to climbers who frequent Mt. Hood.
Past Accidents
Back in 1986, a group of nine teenagers and two teachers from the Oregon Episcopal School were involved in an accident while trying to climb Mt. Hood. Nine of them froze to death. This was the greatest tragedy in Oregon climbing history.
There is video at kgw.com.
I agree. Let them be notified, before heading up the mountain, that if they require an airlift and/or rescue to get their idiot asses off of the mountain, they will be presented with a bill that may run into thousands of dollars.
That may bring their head out of the clouds...as well as other places.
When these temporary glaciers start to melt and slide down, all stability is lost. An area that was safe to be on a few days ago is like trying to stand on mud as it goes down hill.
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