Tennessee National Guard crew rescues hiker overnight on Appalachian Trail

A medical flight crew from the Tennessee Army National Guard performed an emergency air rescue mission in the dark for a hiker in medical distress along the Appalachian Trail on April 5.

Shortly after midnight, the Tennessee Military Department and Tennessee Emergency Management Agency were notified of a 27-year-old hiker needing rescue from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, a press release from the National Guard stated. The hiker was in a remote area near the Silers Bald Shelter along the border of North Carolina and Tennessee.

Tennessee National Guardsmen assigned to the 1-230th Assault Helicopter Battalion in Knoxville assembled a flight crew consisting of two pilots, a crew chief and two flight paramedics. The crew left in a Black Hawk helicopter shortly after 2 a.m., arriving near the shelter 30 minutes later, the release stated.

The crew began searching in the darkness for the victim as park rangers radioed coordinates and marked the site with a fire and strobe light. Unfortunately, thick cloud cover and the darkness made finding the victim difficult, the release said.

With visibility hindered, the aircraft shifted locations, lowered its altitude, and continued searching while receiving directions from the park rangers on the ground via radio. After a few more minutes, crew members saw the strobe light and fire and the rescue was underway.

The crew chief lowered a paramedic to the ground by hoist to do a quick medical assessment. The hiker and fight medic were then hoisted back up into the helicopter hovering above.

The crew flew to the patient to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville.

Liz Kellar is a public safety reporter. Email lkellar@knoxnews.com. Twitter @LizKellar.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee National Guard crew rescues hiker on the Appalachian Trail