The Alaska Air National Guard has been leading search and rescue efforts to locate a civilian medical helicopter that disappeared Dec. 3. The search team focused on an area about 75 miles southeast of Anchorage and, according to the Anchorage Daily News, on Saturday, found the body of a flight nurse and wreckage of the aircraft in Prince William Sound. The Alaska Air Guard’s 176th Wing led the search, employing HH-60 Pave Hawk and HC-130 aircraft, along with Coast Guard aircraft.
Air Force depots are not typically meant for quick repair jobs, but during Operation Epic Fury, the service moved some of its stateside heavy maintenance capability forward to fix battle-damaged aircraft closer to the fight.
