According to KSAZ-TV, Phoenix rescue workers airlifted an injured hiker in her 70s from Piestewa Peak on Tuesday. But the routine helicopter rescue took a twist – and another, and yet another – as crews attempted to hoist the woman, who was in a basket stretcher, into the chopper.
Harrowing videos from the scene show the stretcher spinning rapidly underneath the helicopter for 40 seconds, KNXV-TV reported.
74-year-old woman rescued from Piestewa PeakWILD HELICOPTER RESCUE: It was a bit of a bumpy ride this morning when firefighters say a 74-year-old woman had to be flown off of Piestewa Peak after she suffered an injury while hiking. STORY: http://bit.ly/2WlfHIg
Posted by FOX 10 Phoenix on Tuesday, June 4, 2019
"Sometimes when we bring the helicopter up from the ground, (the rescue basket) will start to spin," Paul Apolinar, chief pilot for the Phoenix Police Department Air Support Unit, told reporters Tuesday. "We have a line attached to the basket that's supposed to prevent that. Today it didn't."
The hiker experienced "dizziness and nausea" but wasn't hurt during the rescue, KSAZ reported. She was taken to a nearby hospital, where she is in stable condition, according to ABC News.
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