Hoist Tin Mine Canyon

February 15, 2015
Corona Hills
2015-013

Written by Glenn Henderson

While enroute to a call to Massacre Canyon the call was cancelled and a call came in for three stranded hikers in the Corona Hills. We changed course and got permission from the President of the United States to fly to Corona. We were within the 30 mile no fly zone as the President was in Palm Springs for the weekend.

Once we got on scene it took a few minutes to find our three subjects. They shined their cell phones at us which made it easy to spot them. TFO (technical flight officer) Ryan Burk lowered me about 60' to the three subjects. I had two screamer suits with me, so I got the Father Gary and his daughter Sabrina (16) suited up and called for pilot Chad Marlatt to came back and start hoisting them into the helicopter. Chad had been hovering close by with his spotlight on us to help us see in the darkness. I sent Gary up first and told him to help his daughter in after he was seat belted in. Ryan lowered a third screamer suit to me after Gary was in the helicopter and then lifted Sabrina in. While Chad flew away to deliver the first load I suited up Dylan (13) and waited for Chad to return. Chad returned and Ryan lifted Dylan and then myself into the helicopter. We landed in a dirt field, shut down and resorted our gear while deputies took their reports.

We lifted off and were enroute back to the hanger when we got a call of a serious TC (Traffic Collision) on the Ortega Hwy. I told Chad to go ahead to that and then take me back. CHP (California Highway Patrol) wanted Star 9 to fly over the crash site and use the flir (forward looking infrared) to see if anyone had been ejected along the side of the road. We did not see anything and left to return to the hanger again when we got another call from CHP of a motorcycle crash along the 15 freeway in Rainbow but no one was found around the crash scene. We responded and again no one was found so we finally returned to the hanger. Great work by Chad and Ryan. They made the mission easy.

RMRU Members Involved: Glenn Henderson.

Sheriff's Aviation: Chad Marlett (Pilot), Ryan Burk TFO)

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