Helicopter used in weekend rescue is one of a kind in Nevada

Las Vegas Review-Journal

7 years ago

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s search and rescue team completed the first successful rescue with an Airbus H145 in the United States. (Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo/Twitter)

Chief Pilot Steve Morris Jr., left, speaks about the new Las Vegas police helicopter while pilot Bryan Woolard stands by at the North Las Vegas Airport on Aug. 16, 2017. (Patrick Connolly/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @PConnPie

Chief Pilot Steve Morris Jr., right, and pilot Bryan Woolard bring out the new Las Vegas police helicopter for flight at the North Las Vegas Airport on Aug. 16, 2017. (Patrick Connolly/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @PConnPie

Chief Pilot Steve Morris Jr., center, and pilot Bryan Woolard prepare the new Las Vegas police helicopter for flight at the North Las Vegas Airport on Aug. 16, 2017. (Patrick Connolly/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @PConnPie

Bryan Woolard, a helicopter pilot, right, laughs with Chief Pilot Steve Morris Jr. before unveiling the new Las Vegas police helicopter at the North Las Vegas Airport on Aug. 16, 2017. (Patrick Connolly/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @PConnPie

Chief Pilot Steve Morris Jr. prepares the new Las Vegas police helicopter for flight at the North Las Vegas Airport on Aug. 16, 2017. (Patrick Connolly/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @PConnPie

The newest addition to the Metropolitan Police Department’s helicopter fleet was used in the Saturday night Gold Butte rescue, and Federal Aviation Administration records show that it is the only one of its kind in Nevada.

According to a series of tweets posted by Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo on Saturday, it was the first rescue hoist completed in the country using an Airbus H145, which the department unveiled in August. He said the rescue took more than two hours to complete.

FAA records also show that there are just 19 other registered H145 helicopters in the country. That model is expected to be in service for at least 25 years.

Police said Metro’s crew was requested Saturday afternoon to assist in rescue efforts about 15 miles from Bunkerville, near state Route 170, after a man’s ATV rolled over and landed on top of him.

The man was airlifted sometime before 8 p.m. to a local hospital with serious injuries, but Metro spokesman Aden OcampoGomez said Monday that his injuries appeared to be survivable. His condition Monday morning was not immediately available.

Steve Morris Jr., the chief pilot for Metro’s air support section, copiloted the mission.

“It was an honor for me to be part of this crew as co-pilot,” Morris wrote in a tweet Sunday morning in response to the sheriff. “Thank you for the recognition of the entire crew, Sheriff Lombardo.”

The Police Department’s $9.6 million helicopter sports two engines and a smaller rotor diameter than the department’s previous fleet of helicopters, which were manufactured in 1973.

“It is a significant advancement to our current capabilities,” Morris said of the H145 at the August unveiling.

Its two engines allow the helicopter to remain in the air if one of the engines fails, while the smaller rotor lets the aircraft maneuver in tight spaces, Morris said.

Most of the air unit’s rescue missions occur in the Red Rock National Conservation Area and at Mount Charleston, Morris said. It assists in about 120 rescue missions annually.

The tail number on Metro’s H145 — N145DV — honors officer David VanBuskirk, who fell to his death in 2013 while trying to lift a stranded hiker to a helicopter at Mount Charleston.

Contact Rio Lacanlale at rlacanlale@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Follow @riolacanlale on Twitter.