Talk about sticking the landing.
A Chinook rescue chopper managed to make a dramatic, two-wheeled landing and take seven people from atop Oregon’s Mount Hood after a climber was injured on the state’s highest mountain (3,400 metres) on Friday.
Coverage of helicopter rescues on Globalnews.ca:
The rescue was triggered after a 27-year-old climber in distress called for help on Thursday afternoon, CBS affiliate KCBY reported.
But he didn’t answer his phone when officials with the Clackamas County Sheriff’s office tried to return his call.
Searchers managed to track his phone call to Mount Hood’s summit.
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A search and rescue team took some time to find the man, locating him when it wasn’t safe to escort him off the mountain, reported KPTV.
Initially, a Black Hawk helicopter operated by the Oregon National Guard was called to rescue the man, but given he was found so high up, a Chinook was dispatched.
The Chinook landed two wheels on the mountain, extended a ramp and brought the man and six rescuers off the summit.
The rescuers had to lower themselves to all fours in order to avoid the chopper’s rotors.
And it came at a difficult time of day, when the temperature was warming up and snow and ice were melting, rescuer Phil Cole told KPTV.
The climber’s condition isn’t known.
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