Watch: Dramatic video of a hoist rescue following a weekend plane crash in Carpinteria
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office released dramatic video of the hoist rescue of a pilot that crashed his small plane in a remote area of Los Padres National Forest northeast of Carpinteria on June 10.
The 31-year-old male pilot survived the crash but suffered injuries to his legs and lower body. A Sheriff’s Office air support helicopter crew was able to hoist the pilot from the wreckage safely following reports that the weather was too poor to pull off the rescue.
According to a Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office press release sent out this evening, the pilot is described as a “Korean” male, who was flying solo. The pilot managed to call 911 from his cell phone to report his crash.
Ventura County Fire dispatches were able to determine his GPS coordinates and pinpoint his location through their conversation with the injured pilot.
The Santa Barbara County Public Safety Dispatch Center was contacted and confirmed that the single engine Piper Cherokee plane had departed from the Santa Barbara Airport about 20 minutes prior to the injured pilot’s call for help. Personnel from the Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Protection District, Montecito Fire Protection District and Ventura County Fire Department responded, but the remote location and dense vegetation made it difficult for crews to access the scene.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff/Fire Air Support Unit and the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue (SBCSAR) team were deployed. The Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Team and Carpinteria Fire personnel were in the process of sending crews to hike down from Divide Peak and also to send a SBCSAR crew to hike up from Rincon Canyon to the crash site.
Fortunately, the low cloud layer held off just enough for two Santa Barbara County Sheriff/Fire helicopters to access the area. Copter 2 responded to locate the crash site and once the location was confirmed, Copter 3 was called in to effect the rescue. Santa Barbara County Fire Aircrew Paramedics aboard Copter 3 were lowered on a hoist down to the injured pilot. They initiated patient care and extricated the pilot from the plane. He was hoisted up to Copter 3 and transported to a local hospital with serious injuries. The successful recovery of the subject by Air Support averted a potentially all night operation by ground personnel.
The Federal Aviation Administration is conducting an investigation into the cause of the crash.
Watch the video of the hoist rescue below.
