As the final trace of daylight rapidly faded over the high-altitude zone, Indian Army Aviation pilots carried out a daring casualty evacuation at 18,600 feet near the Nun Kun massif on Saturday.
What measures did the team take?
The aviators operated at an altitude where the reduced atmospheric density severely impairs engine performance and robs rotor blades of their lift.
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Thus, to carry out the mission, the rescue crew had to take drastic measures to prepare for the ascent.
Non-essential equipment unloaded:
The rescue team stripped the aircraft of all non-essential equipment to lighten the load to the absolute minimum weight required for flight.
Limited fuel:
The aircraft carried only a strictly limited fuel reserve, just enough to reach the extraction point and carry out the mission safely.
Challenges faced in rescue
When the aviators reached the position, they faced several challenges, including strong mountain winds and a steep slope with no conventional landing spot.
{{/usCountry}}When the aviators reached the position, they faced several challenges, including strong mountain winds and a steep slope with no conventional landing spot.
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How the rescue was executed
The pilots held the aircraft in a perilous low hover. They carried out a critical technical manoeuvre, holding the machine steady while balancing on a single skid on the steep slope, according to news agency ANI.
The team worked against the clock, securing the patient inside the aircraft before the crew lifted off and safely descended, it added.
Visuals of the rescue op
Informing about the high-altitude casualty evacuation, Fire and Fury Corps, Indian Army, informed in a post on X (formerly Twitter), "In a daring rescue mission at 18,600 ft near Nun Kun, Indian Army Aviation pilots evacuated a casualty from an extremely challenging slope with no landing space and strong winds."
"With the helicopter lightened by removing non-essential equipment and carrying limited fuel, the aviators executed the evacuation with exceptional precision, courage and determination, including a critical landing with one skid touching the slope," the post read.
It added in the post that the mission highlights the skill, courage, and compassion of the Indian Army Aviation.
"The mission, undertaken at the last available landing window of the day, stands as a testament to the skill, courage and compassion of Indian Army Aviation," it added.
CRPF rescues Amarnath yatra pilgrim
Earlier, in a separate incident in July, according to news agency PTI, CRPF personnel rescued a 46-year-old Amarnath yatra pilgrim after she suffered a cardiac issue en route to the shrine in Jammu and Kashmir.
The woman, who was from Uttar Pradesh, was taken to a medical facility of the paramilitary.
According to a senior official, cited in the report, she was given oxygen support and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). After this, she was taken to the Army hospital camp.