(tn.gov/Peg Broadcasting News)
A Tennessee Army National Guard medical flight crew responded to an emergency air evacuation mission after a victim suffered a stroke while hiking along the Appalachian Trail in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park area last Thursday morning (4/15/21). A UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter from the Tennessee National Guard’s base in Knoxville assembled in under an hour and launched to the incident site at approximately 10:03 a.m. In about 15 minutes, the aircraft arrived on the scene, and the flight crew began rescue hoist operations. The victim was flown to UT Medical Center in Knoxville. This is the first search and rescue mission by the Tennessee National Guard this year.