Great Smoky Mountains Natl. Park — Early in the morning of Sept. 10, a Tennessee Army National Guard flight crew rescued an injured hiker in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the Tennessee Department of Military said in a release.
Shortly after 3 a.m. EDT, the National Guard based out of McGhee Tyson Airport and the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency were notified of an injured hiker needing "rapid transport" to a nearby hospital. The state department said the hiker was in a remote area near Bullhead Trail, south of Gatlinburg and close to the North Carolina border.
The department said that after the mission was approved, a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter left McGhee Tyson Airport at 4:50 a.m., flying directly to Bullhead Trail.
"Twenty minutes after launching, the aircraft and crew located the hiker and park rangers with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, who were rendering first aid," the department said in a release.
Just before 5:15 a.m., the aircraft crew lowered the flight paramedic to the ground by hoist to do a medical assessment and prepare the injured hiker to be taken to the hospital, the department said.
"After a few minutes rendering aid, the hiker and Sharbel were then hoisted into the Blackhawk helicopter hovering above where first aid was continued," the department said. "Once everyone was safely on board, the aircraft flew to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville."
The department said at approximately 5:45 a.m., the helicopter landed at the medical center where the patient was then taken to the emergency room. The aircraft then returned to Louisville and landed just before 6:15 a.m.
The entire mission began and ended in around three hours, according to the timeline in the release.
