News
Yesterday afternoon, Monday 19 April, an HH-139B helicopter from the 82nd SAR (Search and Rescue) Center of the Air Force, based at the military airport of Trapani, intervened to recover and rescue from an oil tanker flying the Liberian flag, sailing about forty miles north of the Trapani coast, a 24-year-old seafarer of Greek nationality in need of emergency transfer to hospital. At the request of the 12th MRSC (Maritime Rescue Sub Centre) of Palermo, the Aerospace Operations Command of Poggio Renatico (Ferrara) arranged for the Trapani helicopter to take off, one of the rotary wing assets ready for national Search and Rescue activities and suitable for the type of emergency. The crew – a specialized team made up of pilots, on-board operator and air rescuer – took off from the Sicilian military base and after having embarked a doctor, a nurse and some medical material at the Sant’Antonio Abate Hospital of Trapani, reached the tanker Samsara.
The air rescuer, with the aid of the winch, proceeded with the recovery operations of the young man who was then transferred as quickly as possible to the same city hospital for the necessary treatment. Once the operations were completed, the crew returned to the Trapani air base, resuming regular national SAR readiness. The 15th Wing of the Air Force guarantees, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, without interruption, search and rescue of flight crews in difficulty, also contributing to public utility activities such as the search for missing persons at sea or in the mountains, the emergency medical transport of patients in imminent danger of their lives and the rescue of seriously injured people , operating even in extreme weather conditions.
From its establishment to today, the crews of the 15th Wing have saved more than 7,500 people in danger of their lives. Since 2018, the Department has acquired the AIB (Forest Firefighting) capability, contributing to the prevention and fight against fires throughout the national territory as part of the joint force device implemented by the Defense.
