Sgt. Gabriel Weston, Tennessee Army National Guard Black Hawk helicopter crew chief, locates a hiker in distress and prepares a hoist rescue in Great Smoky Mountains National Park near the Silers Bald Shelter along the Appalachian Trail early April 5, 2023.
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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – A Tennessee Army National Guard medical flight crew evacuated a hiker in medical distress along the Appalachian Trail April 5.
Shortly after midnight, the Tennessee Military Department and Tennessee Emergency Management Agency were notified that a 27-year-old hiker needed to be rescued from Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The hiker was in a remote area near the Silers Bald Shelter along the Tennessee-North Carolina border.
TEMA approved the mission, and Tennessee National Guardsmen assigned to the 1-230th Assault Helicopter Battalion in Knoxville assembled a flight crew, prepared a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, and launched to rescue the hiker.
The aircrew left shortly after 2 a.m. and arrived near the Silers Bald Shelter 30 minutes later. The crew began searching for the victim in darkness as park rangers from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park radioed location coordinates to the aircraft and marked the pick-up site with a fire and strobe light.
However, the thick cloud cover and darkness made it difficult to find the victim. The aircraft crew shifted locations, reduced altitude and continued searching while receiving directions from park rangers on the ground via radio. After a few more minutes, they located the strobe light and fire set by the rangers.
Just before 3 a.m., the aircraft crew chief lowered a flight paramedic to the ground by hoist to do a quick medical assessment and prepare the hiker for transport. After a few minutes on the ground, the hiker and flight medic were hoisted into the hovering helicopter. The patient received aid while the aircraft flew to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville.
At approximately 3:30 a.m., the aircraft landed at UT Medical Center, where medical personnel received the patient.
The Tennessee Army National Guard flight crew consisted of two pilots, Capt. Hulon Holmes and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Harold Ridings, crew chief Sgt. Gabriel Weston, and two flight paramedics, Sgt. 1st Class Giovanni DeZuani and Sgt. 1st Class Tracy Banta.
