Hide Article Text (OCR)
of the Geco Alpha and Weggemann higher up, acting as a radio relay.“While we were flying the SAR-CAP, I could see a lifeboat in the water on the east side of the ship,” Yawn said. “I flew over them and gave them a big wing rock so they'd know we'd seen them and were sending help.”But Yawn and Weggemann were running out of fuel. Sellers and Duncan, who had been operating about 40 miles to the south, flew into position to replace them as they headed back to Eglin.“We had a lot more gas since we hadn’t flown any engagements yet,” Sellers said. “I set up the low cap and Maj. Duncan set up thehigh cap.”Capt. Dave Summers’ UH-60A Blackhawk helicopter, assigned to Eglin’s 55th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron, was flying a training mission when the squadron was alerted at 11 a.m.“We were on already in the air on a local training mission when we were called,” said flight commander Maj. James Buchanan.The Blackhawk flew at about 1,200 feet until its crew found a break in the overcast and ducked below the 300-foot cloud ceiling for the last eight miles.“I got radar contact with the helo and vectored him in to the ship,” Sellers said. “Maj. Duncan and I stayed on station about another 30 minutes until we got low on gas and had to head back.”The Blackhawk reached the burning ship at 11:20 a.m.
Newspaper Details
Fort Walton Beach Playground Daily News
Fort Walton Beach, Florida, US
Thu, Dec 11, 1986
Page 7
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
TN, USA 02 Jan 2021
Other Publications Near Fort Walton Beach, Florida
Playground Daily News
Fort Walton Beach Playground Sunday News
Fort Walton Beach Playground Daily News
Northwest Florida Daily News Sunday
Northwest Florida Daily News
