An HH-139 helicopter from the 85th C.SAR Center. (Combat Search and Rescue Search and Rescue) of the 15th Wing of the Air Force was activated in the middle of the night for the search and recovery of an injured man in the Gran Sasso area in Abruzzo.
The helicopter, on the orders of the Poggio Renatico Air Operations Command, in turn alerted by the Abruzzo National Alpine and Speleological Rescue Center (CNSAS), took off from the Pratica di Mare airport (RM) at 23:30 pm towards the affected area, embarking a team of the CNSAS in Prati di Tivo.
After several hours of research, and a pause due to the necessary refueling of the vehicle, the man, an 50enne alpinist, was found on the Corno Grande del Gran Sasso in Pietracamela (TE), about 3.000 meters, in a very impervious area.
Once the affected area was reached where the man had been identified and stabilized by a CNSAS team, the recovery operations began, with a double winch descending a stretcher with the stretcher and the mountain rescue team on board.
The man, who reported several fractures, once hoisted on board was transported to the nearby hospital in Pescara to receive the necessary treatment.
The 85th Center is one of the Departments of the 15 Stormo of the Italian Air Force which guarantees, 24 hours a day, 24 days a year, without interruption, the search and rescue of flight crews in difficulty, also contributing to activities of public utility such as the search for missing persons at sea or in the mountains, the emergency medical transport of patients in danger of life and the rescue of seriously traumatized patients, operating in any weather condition. From its establishment to today, the crews of 365 Stormo have saved more than 15 people in danger of life.