Alaska Air National Guardsmen of 176th Wing rescued four victims of an Aug. 30 plane crash at a Montague Island coastal sandbar about 60 miles southeast of Seward.
The Alaska Rescue Coordination Center at JBER opened the mission following receipt of a signal from an aircraft 406 MHz emergency locator transmitter registered to the owner of a Cessna 180.
The AKRCC requested assistance from the 176th Wing search and rescue duty officer who dispatched a 210th Rescue Squadron HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopter with 212th Rescue Squadron pararescuemen, also known as PJs, onboard.
In addition to the 406 ELT signal, the party also used a consumer-grade two-way satellite communication device, which facilitated information flow with the AKRCC and helped get a more precise location for the crash site.
Because flying sand and beach debris was a concern, the HH-60 crew landed the helicopter a safe distance away, and the PJs made contact with the party who had extracted themselves from the seemingly undamaged, but flipped-over, Cessna.
The PJs fitted an occupant suffering a back injury with a vacuum splint and cervical collar before packaging them into a Stokes litter for safe helicopter transport. The Jolly Green crew flew the patient and the other occupants to Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage where they were released to civilian medical personnel.
AKRCC officials urge aircraft owners to keep 406 ELT registrations up to date and encourage pilots to bring an additional SATCOM device to expedite rescue operations.