BY: BRAD MCNALLY


PHOTOS: COURTESY OF NEW YORK AIR NATIONAL GUARD 106TH RESCUE WING


I n December of 1994, a nor’easter


sank the 450-foot motor vessel, Salvador Allende, in the North At- lantic. Onboard the Ukrainian reg- istered freighter were 31 crew


members who were left stranded, battling for survival against 30-foot seas and 60 mph winds. The crew members were hundreds of miles away from land and the magnitude of the storm that sank the Sal- vador Allende prevented other ships from reaching the scene. Although Canadian and American search and rescue planes had been able to locate survivors in the water and drop life rafts, a rescue would only have been possible by helicopter. Due to the distance from land, this mis- sion was outside the boundaries of con- ventional search and rescue and would require a special type of helicopter, one that was capable of aerial refueling. The typical search and rescue helicopter


would not have the range to make it to the survivors and back, so the mission ended up with the men and women of the New York Air National Guard’s 106th Rescue Wing based out of Francis S. Gabreskie Airport on Long Island. The 106th Res- cue Wing flew the Air Force’s MH-60 Pavehawk helicopter and the HC-130P


Digital and App magazine readers can watch a video on this feature topic by clicking the play button. rotorcraftpro.com 29


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