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15 Years ago in the Sounder - Kivalina searchers rescue stranded men

January 27th 2:43 pm | Charles Bingham Print this article   Email this article   Create a Shortlink for this article

Two missing snowmachiners were safely found by Kivalina Search and Rescue crews in separate searches last week.

The first search was for Richard Thomas Sage, 30, of Kivalina who left Kotzebue between 9-9:30 a.m. Jan. 21, en route to Kivalina. He was found about 3:50 p.m. the next day after being stranded for just over 30 hours in bad weather.

The other search was for Wayne Downey of Kivalina, who was found about 5:10 p.m. Sunday. Kivalina Search and Rescue secretary Becky Norton said Downey, who was reported overdue from a hunting trip on Jan. 25, ran into some overflow and sprained his back when he tried to pull his machine back onto the trail.

In the first search, Elmer Armstrong, the vice president of the Kotzebue Sound Search and Rescue group, said searchers from Kivalina, Noatak and Kotzebue spent 215 man-hours looking for Sage. He also said the civil Air Patrol and Alaska State Troopers, sent planes up to search for Sage, but conditions made it difficult for air searchers to spot him.

"He was found between Noatak and Kivalina in deep snow in a creek," Armstrong said. "The people in our aircraft were unable to spot him, even when they flew over him, because of the conditions. It was a Kivalina ground crew that found him."

A trooper report said Becky Swan of Kivalina reported Sage missing at about 11:40 p.m. on Jan. 21, some 14 hours after he left Kotzebue for the roughly 100-mile trip to Kivalina. A later report said he was found in good condition.

Norton said Sage went over a hidden hole, and that trapped his machine. She said the weather conditions were pretty rough, and that Sage soaked some of his clothes and had to improvise a better, dryer shelter.

"He went into a big drop, an eight-foot drop," Norton said. "I guess he got out of there, then he got a moose and used the hide for a cover. He was pretty wet and his feet were soaked. His bunny boots were soaked, and he ended up cutting up his T-shirt to replace his wet socks."

Norton said one thing that helped the search was a recent switch to VHF handheld remote radios and a VHF base station. She said any of the other area search and rescue groups still using the older equipment should consider making the upgrade because the VHF signals are stronger and clearer.

"These are a lot better than the old CB radios," Norton said. "I think all the search and rescue groups should use the VHF radios."

 

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