The helicopter took off on the orders of the Rescue Coordination Center of the Air Operations Command of Poggio Renatico (FE) to reach the merchant ship "Zelek Star", which was located about 5 nautical miles from the port of Lampedusa and which, due to adverse weather conditions, it was unable to dock.
The crew of the 82nd CSAR Center reached the ship and, despite the strong gusts of wind in the area, lowered the rescue aircraft onto the ship's deck.
Once harnessed, the XNUMX-year-old Georgian was rescued using the evacuation triangle. The recovery operations were carried out with the help of night vision goggles (Google Night Vision), thanks to which the crew operated in greater safety even in poor visibility conditions.
After the recovery operations, the HH-139A headed for the Trapani Birgi base, where it landed at about 03.20 leaving the Georgian citizen under the care of the doctors of the 118 service.
The 82nd Center is one of the Departments of the 15 ° Wing of the Italian Air Force which guarantees, 24 hours a day, 24 days a year, the search and rescue of flight crews in difficulty, also contributing to public utility such as the search for missing persons at sea or in the mountains, the emergency medical transport of patients in danger of life and the rescue of seriously traumatized patients. From its constitution to today, the crews of the 365 ° Stormo have saved about 15 people in danger of life.
Source: 82 ° CSAR Center - Trapani Birgi (TP) - chap. Angelo Mosca
