At 10:00 p.m. on July 15, 2025, a horseback rider required urgent medical assistance in a remote area approximately 185 km east of Fort Nelson.
With no local air or ground support able to reach the location due to rugged terrain and darkness, the RCMP requested assistance from the Royal Canadian Air Force.
A CC-295 Kingfisher and CH-149 Cormorant helicopter from 19 Wing Comox responded.
鈥淲e were planning on going for an evening flight. We had everything set up then right before we were about to take off, we got the call. We were tasked for a hunter who had been crushed by a horse, so the information was pretty limited,鈥 shared Max Honeyman.
Search and Rescue Technicians parachuted from the Kingfisher, hiked to the injured rider, provided immediate medical support, and coordinated a successful helicopter extraction.
The individual was transferred onto the Kingfisher in Fort Nelson and flown to Prince George for higher-level emergency medical care.
鈥淲e knew the patient had some serious injuries that could need immediate attention so we opted to jump,鈥 said Honeyman of the rescue.
The mission lasted around 16 hours.