Mountain-Rescue Helicopter Crash on Austria’s Highest Peak
Unlock this article and more benefits with 25% off.
Already have an Outside Account? Sign in
25% Off Outside+.
$4.99/month $3.75/month*
Get the one subscription to fuel all your adventures.
- Map your next adventure with our premium GPS apps: Gaia GPS Premium and Trailforks Pro.
- Read unlimited digital content from 15+ brands, including Outside Magazine, Triathlete, Ski, Trail Runner, and VeloNews.
- Watch 600+ hours of endurance challenges, cycling and skiing action, and travel documentaries.
- Learn from the pros with expert-led online courses.
*Outside memberships are billed annually. Print subscriptions available to U.S. residents only. You may cancel your membership at anytime, but no refunds will be issued for payments already made. Upon cancellation, you will have access to your membership through the end of your paid year. More Details
On August 1, 2017, a mountain-rescue helicopter attempted an extraction on the Adlersruhe (3,450 meters) below the summit of Großglockner (3,798 meters),
Austria’s highest peak. Shortly after the helicopter picked up a patient, it lost control and crashed on the edge of the 300-meter cliff. The cause
of the accident is still under investigation.
According to local news sources, the pilot, flight technician, paramedic and patient survived the crash with only minor injuries. Toni Riepler, the hut
warden at the nearby Erzherzog-Johann-Hütte who helped the patient into the heli, managed to escape the helicopter’s rotor.
In an interview with planetmountain.com, Vittorio Messini, a mountain guide and member of the Austrian Mountain Rescue Squad who was on scene,
said, “It was absolutely incredible, just like a horror film. Those involved had THE luck of their lives and thank God we can say that in the end ‘nothing
happened’.
“The patient needed to be flown down and so he was transported north of Adlersruhe, circa 50 vertical meters higher, and picked up about 30 minutes later
by another helicopter. There’s a safer landing place up there, but quite far away…”
Also read When a Rescue Needed a Rescue, by John Cleare