Navy SAR hoists crash victim after 250-foot plunge
Published 1:30 am Tuesday, June 30, 2026
A search-and-rescue crew from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island helped rescue four people involved in a rollover crash near T-Rex Falls in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest near Wilkeson on June 26, the base reported.
The Air Force Rescue Coordination Center requested assistance after Pierce County fire and sheriff’s personnel determined that two of the victims could not be safely reached by ground crews. The vehicle had rolled over and plunged about 250 feet over a cliff, according to the Navy.
One victim was assisted to an extraction point, where an Airlift Northwest helicopter transported the person to a local hospital. The second victim, a 20-year-old man, was hoisted by the NAS Whidbey Island SAR team and flown to another hospital.
The other two people involved in the crash did not require an airlift.
Station SAR Whidbey has conducted 20 missions this calendar year, which includes five MEDEVACs, two searches and 12 rescues.
The unit operates three MH-60S Seahawk helicopters and primarily supports military aviation operations at NAS Whidbey Island. Under agreements with federal agencies, the crews also respond to civilian search-and-rescue and medical evacuation missions when requested by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center for inland emergencies or the U.S. Coast Guard for maritime incidents, provided military operations are not affected.
