The crew used special night vision goggles. The man was recovered on board the helicopter with the winch and then transported to the Brotzu hospital in Cagliari
During the night, an HH-139 B helicopter from the 80th SAR Center (Search and Riesce - Research and Rescue) of the Air Force, based at the military airport of Decimomannu (Cagliari), intervened to recover and rescue from a ship Maltese merchant ship sailing about sixty miles west of Iglesias, on the south-western coast of Sardinia, a man of about 30 years of age, of Turkish nationality, in danger of dying due to serious heart problems.
The man had felt ill during navigation and after the request for help from the ship's crew at the maritime rescue stations, the emergency procedure and coordination with the Aerospace Operations Command of Poggio Renatico (Ferrara) were immediately triggered. which around 4 am arranged for the take-off of one of the air vehicles ready at that moment and suitable for the type of emergency, i.e. the air rescue helicopter of the Sardinian air base of Decimomannu.
The crew, a specialized team made up of pilots, on-board operator and air rescuer, took off from the Sardinian base and after reaching the boat, lowered the air rescuer with the winch, carried out the recovery - again with the winch - of the man stretchered. The injured man was transported to the Brotzu hospital in Cagliari. The operation ended at 7am with the return to base.
The 15th Wing of the Air Force guarantees, 24 hours a day, 24 days a year, without interruption, the search and rescue of flight crews in difficulty, also contributing to public utility activities such as of missing persons at sea or in the mountains, the emergency medical transport of patients in imminent danger of life and the rescue of seriously traumatized people, also operating in extreme weather conditions.
From its establishment to today, the crews of the 15th Stormo have saved more than 7500 people in danger of life. Since 2018, the Department has acquired the AIB (Forest Fire Fighting) capability, contributing to the prevention and fight against fires throughout the national territory as part of the inter-force device put in place by the Defense.