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A U.S. Army aeromedical unit conducted a remote evacuation for a civilian who had fallen from the roof of a cabin along the Yukon River. The mission request was received by members of the evacuation team, known as Arctic Dustoff, at approximately 6:05 local time on July 5. The team departed from Ladd Field at Fort Wainwright around 7:30 p.m.
Upon nearing the accident location after encountering strong turbulence during their flight, the crew observed that the patient’s friends had prepared a landing site for the helicopter. However, transportation to the accident site required a boat trip for the medical crew, who then assessed and treated the patient before returning to the helicopter.
The return trip to Fairbanks Memorial Hospital was smoother as turbulence had subsided. Nonetheless, they had to navigate around a temporary flight restriction due to wildfires along their route. The patient was handed over to hospital staff at approximately 10:35 p.m.
