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Steven John Swenson was part of an Indo-American
team of mountaineers braving the Saser Kangri-II
peak at 23,000 feet, when he got seriously ill
due to extremely high altitude. The team requested
for an immediate air rescue through their organising
agency and the US embassy.
On receiving the request, realizing the seriousness
of casualty and criticality of time available
during the day, HQ Western Air Command (WAC) swung
into action seeking clearances, issuing orders
and monitoring progress of the mission. A two
helicopter rescue team of ‘Siachen Pioneers’
Squadron led by Wg Cdr S Srinivasan got airborne
from the Leh Air Force Base, within a matter of
minutes.
The rescue team which comprised Wg Cdr D C Tiwari,
Flt Lt A Agrawal and Flt Lt A K Bharmoria, led
by Wg Cdr S Srinivasan knew well the challenges
they were about to face. But upholding the unit
tradition they decided to take on the mission
and operated their machines to the fringes of
their limits as the mission involved flying into
unknown territory and landing at a low density
altitude of approximately 23,000 ft over an inhospitable
glacier.
Accurate navigation and correct assessment of
the prevailing situation ensured that the helicopters
reached the site at the earliest which was vital
in saving the life of the critically ill expedition
member.
In fact, the mission was a record as the brave
pilots flew their helicopters to more than their
limits. Although the helicopter has been taken
to that height earlier, it is the first that two
helicopters were taken to 23,000 feet in an operational
mission, and successfully.
IAF is known to operate HAL-made Cheetal and
other helicopters. Cheetal is the re-engined Cheetah,
a version of old Alouette, powered by newer French
Turbomeca TM 333-2B2 engine, which is used now
in the Advanced Light Helicopter Dhruv being produced
by HAL at Bangalore.
After assessing the landing site which was covered
with snow and wide crevasses of the glacier, Wg
Cdr S Srinivasan manoeuvered his helicopter to
land in the restricted area with negligible reserve
of power. Without wasting any time, Swenson was
taken onboard while the second helicopter maintained
a close vigil from the top.
Mission leader described the criticality of
mission: “In quickly locating casualty in
the vast glaciated region and finding suitable
landing spot close to the casualty is the most
important” adding, “Winds are peculiar
in such regions and turbulence affects handling
of the helicopter.”In snow laden terrain
and narrow confines of the valley, manoeuvering
a helicopter is very challenging. High temperatures
in the afternoon hours further increase difficulty
level as air density reduces. All planned missions
at such altitudes are undertaken at early hours
of the day, when ambient temperatures are the
lowest.
In a statement on the success of the mission,
the WAC stated: “The Siachen Pioneers crew
displayed the highest level of professionalism,
planning and courage without fearing for their
own safety, resulting in the successful completion
of the mercy mission which was more than evident
from the convincing smile of patient, Mr. Steven
John Swenson. While the team of two helicopters
was daring the glaciers, the Commanding Officer
of Helicopter Unit monitored and guided his unit
pilots throughout the mission ensuring that all
necessary information and services worked in unison
towards successful execution of this mission.”
Air Cmde S P Wagle VM, Air Officer Commanding
Air Force Station Leh, personally supervised and
coordinated the entire mission. He was on the
tarmac as the two helicopters landed after the
successful evacuation at 4:51PM. The casualty
was transferred into a waiting ambulance, checked
and stablised by the IAF medics and carried to
General Hospital, Leh for further treatment.Mission
Leader Wg Cdr S Srinivasan debriefed the crew
in presence of the AOC and Commanding Officer
– Wg Cdr UK Bhaduria. The AOC complimented
the Commanding Officer and ‘boys’ for
the job well done!
With this, the ‘Siachen Pioneers’ added
another feather in their cap. Once again Air Force
Station Leh and the Helicopter Unit have lived
up to their motto “WE DO THE DIFFICULT
AS A ROUTINE, THE IMPOSSIBLE (MAY) TAKE A BIT
LONGER”.
Said the WAC statement: Where, just landing at
these altitudes on prepared helipad is a tough
task, evacuation of casualty from a glaciated
and unprepared surface with no margin of error
makes the mission planning and execution a daunting
task.
More importantly, no time can be wasted on ground
as it can make all the difference between life
and death for a critical casualty. Mission planning,
experience, adherence to laid down procedures,
applications, Crew Resource Management and courage
of the pilots are the factors that contribute
to success of such missions, when operating the
machines to the limit of its design performance.Courage
of the pilots reaches out across the globe as
the Karakoram mountain ranges beckons mountaineers
and trekkers for the challenges it presents to
them as well as to the pilots of the ‘ Siachen
Pioneers’.
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