Photo: VAI/John Harris; composition: Mark Bennett VAI Webinar, Jul. 31: A USCG Pilot Recounts a Harrowing Cliff Rescue Lt. Mitchell Dow remembers a difficult mission with limited power and fuel. By Jen Boyer At 2:45 pm on Mar. 22, 2025, US Coast Guard (USCG) Sector Humboldt Bay received an agency assist call from the Shelter Cove (California) Fire Department and CAL FIRE (the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection) for two hikers in distress. One climber had fallen more than 100 ft. off a cliff from the Lost Coast Trail on the Northern California coast and was barely holding on with hiking poles. The bleeding hiker suffered from a dislocated shoulder and other unknown injuries. A companion was also stranded below the trail, uninjured. What followed was a dramatic rescue successfully executed through considerable crew coordination, including the first live hoist rescue for one crew member. A series of educated decisions led to jettisoned fuel, a 160-ft. hoist with limited power on a loose cliffside surrounded by dead trees, patient delivery to emergency medical services, and, after a regroup to assess the situation, a second successful hoist. With both hikers safe on terra firma, a new list of issues arose. The weather was moving in between the rescue site and Humboldt Bay, and fuel was running out. Luckily, CAL FIRE came to the rescue, delivering fuel through a 4-hour round trip down a long, winding road. After encountering low visibility on the way home, the USCG crew finally landed back at base more than 5 hours after their 24-hour day had ended. Join us Jul. 31 for what is sure to be an edge-of-the-seat VAI Webinar as USCG Lt. Mitchell Dow, the pilot in command of the Airbus MH-65E Dolphin on the rescue, recounts the event. The story of this rescue not only illustrates the remarkable talent of the crew, but also the massive local response and coordinated effort required of several agencies and departments to save two hikers’ lives. Our speaker: • Lt. Mitchell Dow, Pilot in Command, USCG Sector Humboldt Bay. In this webinar, you’ll learn: • The decisions the crew needed to make on the fly • The many obstacles and hazards that were overcome to execute the rescue • How all the involved agencies made the rescue possible • Lessons learned. And more. Register today for this free, one-hour webinar, which takes place Thursday, Jul. 31, at 3 pm eastern (UTC-4), to hear the heroic story firsthand and the lessons learned along the way. Jen Boyer is a journalist and marketing communicator specializing in aviation. She holds commercial, instrument, flight instructor, and instrument instructor ratings in helicopters and a private rating in airplanes.
