MARCH 30, 2026 – A flight crew with the Tennessee Army National Guard’s 1-230th Assault Helicopter Battalion rescued a hiker who had a medical emergency March 25 in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Shortly after 3 p.m., the Tennessee National Guard and the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency were notified of an injured hiker who needed immediate medical assistance and rapid transport to a nearby hospital. The hiker was injured along the False Gap Trail in a remote area of the park southeast of Gatlinburg, near the North Carolina border.
Once the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency was notified of the possible mission, Tennessee National Guardsmen assigned to Task Force Smokey assembled a flight crew and readied a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter for flight.
After the mission was approved, the aircraft departed Joint Base McGhee-Tyson at about 3:40 p.m., flying directly to the rescue site determined by Park Service Rangers.
The aircraft arrived at the rescue site in roughly 12 minutes, and the Tennessee National Guard flight crew began rescue operations.
The flight crew consisted of two pilots, Chief Warrant Officer 4 Thomas McKnight and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andre Salas; the crew chief, Sgt. Gabriel Weston; and two flight paramedics, Sgt. 1st Class Giovanni DeZuani and John Sharbel.
Once the hiker and rescue crew were located, Weston used the hoist to lower Sharbel from the hovering helicopter to them. Once Sharbel was safely on the ground, he performed a medical assessment of the hiker and prepared the patient for hoisting into the aircraft.
After a few minutes of rendering aid, the hiker and flight medic were hoisted into the Black Hawk helicopter that was hovering overhead. Once everyone was safely aboard, the aircraft flew the patient to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville. First aid continued throughout the flight.
At about 4:30 p.m., the aircraft landed at the medical center, where medical personnel rushed the patient into the emergency room. Once the patient was safely in the care of medical professionals, the aircraft returned to Louisville and landed just before 5 p.m.
By Tennessee National Guard