08/11/2026
H-70 responded to Big Sur Gorge to assist with a fall victim. The crew received an updated patient condition and information regarding the equipment needed for the extraction from the Big Sur Fire helicopter rescue team. The patient had reportedly fallen from a waterfall and sustained severe injuries.
H-70 successfully conducted the hoist rescue and transported the injured individual to safety. REACH Air Ambulance then transported the patient to a trauma center in Salinas for further treatment.
H-70 was still on the ground when another rescue request came in. The crew was dispatched to a remote area of the Los Padres National Forest, where they located a hunter in distress who was experiencing severe fatigue, heat exhaustion, dehydration, and additional medical complaints.
Because of the rugged terrain and the inability to safely land the helicopter, the H-70 crew performed a hover step-on maneuver. The patient was safely brought aboard the aircraft and flown to King City, where a ground ambulance was waiting to transport him to a local hospital for further evaluation and treatment.
Big Sur Fire
Earlier that day, CHP Air Operations Paso Robles H-70 was requested by the Fresno Air Operations Unit, H-40, to assist with an ongoing rescue operation in a remote area of San Benito County.
H-40 had responded to a report of a Jeep rollover in difficult and remote terrain. Upon arrival, the crew learned that the Jeep had rolled off a cliff, ejecting all three occupants. Tragically, one individual sustained fatal injuries. A second suffered major injuries, while the third sustained minor injuries.
The three-person H-40 crew inserted one of its flight paramedic/helicopter rescue technicians into the accident scene to evaluate and provide care to the victims. Shortly after the insertion, however, H-40 experienced a maintenance issue, requiring the crew to land immediately.
At that point, Paso Robles Air Operations H-70 was requested to assist in completing the rescue mission.
Approximately five minutes before H-70 arrived, CAL FIRE Helicopter 610, operating out of San Benito County, arrived overhead and successfully hoisted the seriously injured patient from the accident scene. The patient was then transferred to an air ambulance for transport to a trauma center.
Upon arrival, H-70 continued the operation by recovering the deceased individual and transporting the person to a nearby landing zone, where the San Benito County Coroner was standing by. H-70 then returned to the accident scene and hoisted the Fresno H-40 flight paramedic/rescue technician from the remote location, returning him safely to the landing zone. The H-40 crew was subsequently cleared to fly its aircraft back to Fresno.
