Broadwater County Search And Rescue Team Participate In Training Exercise For Lost Airplane
Author: Matt Nelson
Matt Nelson
Members of the Broadwater County Search and Rescue (BCSAR) and the Lewis and Clark County Search and Rescue (LCCSAR) teams had a joint training exercise at Canyon Ferry Lake on May 17th to search for a downed airplane. We all met at the Silos boat ramp about 8 AM. The BCSAR members who participated were Ed Shindoll, the Broadwater County Fire Chief; Eric Crusch, the president of the BCSAR team; Tim McAlpine; and myself.
The LCCSAR team consisted of about a dozen people, and they utilized two boats. Initially, they located the downed airplane and marked the spot with a buoy. A little while later, Tim and Ed used the new SONAR on the BSCAR boat and managed to get a good image of it at a depth of 27 feet. Then the LCCSAR team sent out two divers who attempted to attach buoys to the plane, but they were unsuccessful. About an hour later, a second team of divers went back out to the plane. Steve Ackerlund, one of the LCCSAR members, joined us on the BCSAR boat as a diver observer. This time, the two divers were successful and managed to attach a large balloon-like flotation device to the plane.
Steve wrote, “I think the initial location was done with the side scanner and provided an approximate location of the downed plane, which was marked by the buoy. Unfortunately, wave action resulted in poor visibility of less than a foot, making it difficult for the divers to locate and attach retrieval lines. However, the plane was more precisely located by LCCSAR using a robotic camera. This enabled the second divers ultimately to find the plane, and with great difficulty under low visibility conditions, attach the retrieval lines.”
Then both LCCSAR boats started towing the plane back to shore, with the nose of the plane aimed at the shore. We were asked to take over, because their smaller boat didn’t have enough power and we were closer than the larger boat. Steve attached the tow rope to the back of our boat, and very slowly, Ed drove our boat to the old boat dock. Once we were there, LCCSAR team members waded out to the plane and turned the plane around so that the tail pointed forward, where they attached ropes. After that, they all tugged on the ropes and gradually brought it close to the back end on a pickup. On the right side of the plane, a lady mannequin passenger could be seen with her head hanging out. From what I understand, the mannequin pilot’s body had been found by the LCCSAR team members up on Indian Creek Road. Altogether, it was a successful training exercise, one which none of us ever wants to be the real thing.
If you have any questions about Search and Rescue or would like to volunteer, please call the sheriff’s office at 406 266-3441 or Eric Crusch at 406 521-0275.
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PhotoCredit: Matt Nelson
Image 1 Caption: The recovered aircraft is being towed to the shore by the Broadwater County Search And Rescue boat driven by Ed Shindoll.
Photo Credit: Matt Nelson
