A medical flight crew from the Tennessee National Guard conducted an emergency air evacuation mission after two hikers became stranded on the Appalachian Trail, Dec. 31, 2022.
Shortly after 5:15 a.m. on New Year’s Eve, the Tennessee Military Department and Tennessee Emergency Management Agency were notified of two hikers needing assistance in the Sampson Mountain Wilderness Area, south of Johnson City, Tenn. The hikers were stranded in the darkness of night and surrounded by cliffs and drop offs in the area. Greene County Sheriff’s Office were first to receive the call however, they could not access the hikers, prompting the request for air support.
Tennessee National Guardsmen, assigned to 1-230th Assault Helicopter Battalion, in Knoxville, left in a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter left shortly after 8:00 a.m. They located the hikers about 45 minutes later and both hikers were lifted and flown to a nearby hospital shortly after 9:00 a.m. The hikers recovered from minor injuries before being released.
(Staff Sgt. Ryan McKnight pulls a patient onboard a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter during a recovery mission on the Appalachian Trail, Dec. 31, 2022. Local authorities requested help from the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency and the Tennessee National Guard to rescue two stranded hikers the morning of New Year’s Eve. The two hikers were airlifted to Johnson City Medical Center where they recovered from minor injuries before being released. Submitted photo)
