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Malmstrom Airmen help recover body of missing skier

  • Published
  • By Valerie Mullett
  • 341st Missile Wing Public Affairs Office
MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. --  A five-person team of search and rescue experts from Malmstrom assisted in the recovery of a man whose body was found June 18 after he had been reported missing the day before.

The 37-year-old Missoula, Mont., resident went on a backpack skiing trip to Lolo Peak, in Missoula County June 15 and was reported missing when he failed to report to work as scheduled June 17.

The body was discovered by friends the morning of June 18 and the call to assist in the recovery was then made to Malmstrom. The UH-1N helicopters assigned to the 40th Helicopter Squadron are the only ones in the area that have hoist capability. The pilots, Captains P.J. Burke and Joe Evans; flight engineers Master Sgt. Jay Orr and Staff Sgt. Michelle Bresson; and flight surgeon Maj. Dave Oldham departed Malmstrom at 9:30 a.m. June 18 to assist with the recovery efforts.

"It took us about an hour and a half to get to the base camp, about two mountain peaks away from where we would be performing our mission," Sergeant Bresson said.

Others at the base camp included representatives from the Forest Service; both volunteer and sheriff's department search and rescue teams; the Missoula County and Ravalli County sheriffs; and friends and family of the downed skier.

"When we first arrived, we met with all the officials at the base camp and they filled us in on all the details," Sergeant Orr said. "They let us know what was going on and we also discussed avalanche possibilities."

At approximately 2:30 p.m., the Malmstrom helicopter and a second helicopter from the Forest Service took off to the recovery location to assess the area. An avalanche expert was in the second helicopter.

"After the avalanche expert ruled out the possibility of a slide and deemed the area safe, they returned to the base camp," Sergeant Orr said. "We then proceeded with our mission to recover this man's body."

Sergeant Orr said they made several passes over the area to ensure the operability of the aircraft in that terrain since there wasn't a safe place to land it. Hovering near the recovery site, they lowered the flight surgeon down to the ground, followed by the coroner who was also on board with them and the coroner's gear. Last, they lowered the Stokes litter.

"We left the team on the ground to do their work and took off to Missoula to refuel while they did," Sergeant Orr said. "When we returned, we hoisted the skier's body into the aircraft, got Captain Oldham safely back on board and returned to base camp where the body was transferred to the authorities there."

The coroner hiked back out with the other members that were in the ground party.

Shortly after 5 p.m., the crew was on its way back to Malmstrom.

"While our primary mission is security, our secondary mission directly impacts our host communities when we can provide search and rescue assistance, or in this case, recovery assistance," Sergeant Orr said.

"If we weren't able to assist in bringing closure to this family, it probably would have been a few weeks, maybe even a month, before they could have recovered the body on foot because of the treacherous terrain and the weather conditions," Sergeant Bresson said. "I know the family was very grateful."