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Rescue Missions

Weekly Update (13 Feb 2023 – 19 Feb 2023)
Search and Rescue
Total SAR Case
This week: 17*
2023 cumulative: 86*
    This week Yearly cumulative
Trauma 1   29% 40%
Medical 2   35% 29%
Drowning   6% 1%
Others 3   30% 30%

1. Trauma cases include physical injury (head injury, sprained ankle, leg facture, etc) and burn injury

2. Medical cases include heat exhaustion/stroke, collapsed, stroke, etc

3. Others include other injuries, aerial search and support, lost way, etc.

* Preliminary figure, finalized case number will be reflected in GFS’s Controlling Officer’s Report.
SAR Case Locations
    This week Yearly cumulative
1. North East & Central New Territories   35% cases 33% cases
2. Sai Kung & Clear Water Bay   18% cases 17% cases
3. North West New Territories   12% cases 9% cases
4. Lantau Island & Neighbouring Islands   18% cases 23% cases
5. Hong Kong Island & Neighbouring Islands   5% cases 13% cases
6. Hong Kong Waters   12% cases 5% cases

Bringing the crew members of sunken cargo vessel “Sheng Li” to safety during the visit of Typhoon Nesat

As Typhoon Nesat intensified and made its way to the South China Sea from the northern Philippines on 17 Oct 2022, it saw the joint efforts from our Search and Rescue crew in an evacuation mission to bring the ship crew of a cargo vessel to safety.

At 10:00 am, the Marine Rescue Coordination Centre tasked out GFS to evacuate the crew of the cargo vessel “Sheng Li” which was reportedly taking in water at 260 km southeast of HK.

One Challenger 605 aircraft and two H175 helicopters were involved in this mission. After hours of effort battling against the strong wind, all seven ship crew members (2 Taiwanese and 7 Indonesian) were brought to the GFS Headquarters at 1:45 pm.

But that didn’t end our work for the day. After the rescue mission, the Challenger 605 continued for a dropsonde operation to collect weather data near Nesat in assisting the typhoon forecast work of the Hong Kong Observatory.

The latest forecast path shows that the typhoon is moving westward across the South China Sea and will land at the eastern part of Vietnam in the afternoon of the 21st of the month.

 
Search and Rescue at South China Sea
Date:   2 Jul 2022  
Location:   162 Miles South-west of Hong Kong
Case:
   An engineering vessel in distress
30 crew members need
immediate evacuation.
Resources:
(Up to 8th Jul 2022)		   H175: 6 sortie

Challenger 605: 14 sortie

Pilots: 40

Aircrewman Officers: 28

Search and Rescue at Lion Rock
Date:   05 Apr 2022  
Location:   Lion Rock
Case:
   1 Male

Fell from height. Head injury.
Resources:
   H175: 1 sorties

Pilots: 2

Aircrewman Officers: 2

Search and Rescue of 10 Crew Members from an Abandoned Fishing Vessel
Date:   26 Dec 2021
Location:   5 miles east of Sai Kung
Resources:
   H175: 3 sorties

Challenger 605: 1 sortie

Pilots: 8

Aircrewman Officers: 9

Total Flying Hours: 11.42

Details:

On 26 December 2021, at 1110 hours HKT, the Government Flying Service (GFS) was tasked by the Hong Kong Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre to respond to a fishing vessel on fire incident. The vessel was located at approximately 5 nm east of Sai Kung. 10 ship crew abandoned the vessel as the ship was taking on water and in danger of sinking. On scene weather was approximately 20km/h wind, sea state 4 meters and sea temperature 20 Degree Celsius. 7 ship crew were rescued by surface rescue boat. GFS was tasked to search for the 3 missing ship crew.

GFS has launched three H175 helicopters and a Challenger 605 fixed-wing aircraft for the search. The first helicopter arrived on-scene at 1150 hours and identified the subject vessel. The fixed-wing aircraft arrived on scene at 1152 hours. At 1205 hours, 1 person was spotted afloat in rough sea and was recovered by GFS helicopter. The ship crew was found unconscious and CPR was in-progress by crew throughout the time while he was being flown to Wan Chai Helipad for onwards ambulance transfer to hospital. GFS will continue the search with other rescue parties for the 2 remaining ship crew.

Fire Fighting at Ta Kwu Ling
Date:   21 Oct 2020
Location:   Ta Kwu Ling
Case:
   80 x 20 meters fire line
Resources:
   H175: 2 sorties

Pilots: 4

Aircrewman Officers: 2
Search and Rescue at Tai Tan
Date:   20 Oct 2020  
Location:   Beach near Tai Tan
Case:
   1 Male

Abdominal Pain
Resources:
   H175: 1 sorties

Pilots: 2

Aircrewman Officers: 2
Search and Rescue at Ping Nam Stream
Date:   17 Aug 2020  
Location:   Ping Nam Stream
Case:
   1 Female

Trapped in the stream
Resources:
   H175: 1 sorties

Pilots: 2

Aircrewman Officers: 2

Air Medical Officer: 1
Search and Rescue at Wang Chung Stream (Bride’s Pool)
Date:   12 Aug 2020  
Location:   Wang Chung Stream (Bride’s Pool)
Case:
   1 Female (Group of 9)

Suspected Left Ankle Fracture
Resources:
   H175: 1 sorties

Pilots: 2

Aircrewman Officers: 2
Search and Rescue at Wong Lung Stream
Date:   26 Jul 2020  
Location:   Wong Lung Stream
Case:
  

1 Male and 1 Female

Fell from Height (~15 meters)

Male unconscious

Female semi-conscious
Resources:
  

H175: 4 sorties

Pilots: 4

Aircrewman Officers: 5

Air Medical Nurse Officers: 2

CAS Mountain Rescue Unit: 4 (Not deployed)
Search and Rescue Operations at Suicide Cliff, Kowloon Peak
Date & Time:   29 Nov 2017  
Location:   Suicide Cliff Kowloon Peak (KK 139728)
This Mission
mobilized: 		 

AS332 L2 Super Puma: 2

Pilots: 4

Aircrew man Officers: 5

FSD High Angle Rescue Team : 4

Total Flying Hours: 3.3

Details:

At 1317 hours, 29 November 2017, Government Flying Service (GFS) was tasked out by Fire Servicers Communication Center (FSCC) to rescue a hiker who fell from height at Suicide Cliff, Kowloon Peak.

At 1345 hours, the helicopter on scene and located the victim who was trapped by a tree halfway of a sheared cliff. Due to terrain, only a small area for rescuers to gain foothold for any direct rescue operations, as the location was difficult to access, two winchmen from GFS and four High Angle Rescue Team members from FSD were deployed in order to secure the victim for recovery. The victim was assessed and found in critical condition and need to be evacuated immediately.

At 1513 hours, the rescue party managed to transfer the victim onto a stretcher and recovered to the helicopter for onward transfer to Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital for medical treatment.

Search and Rescue Operations at Kau Nga Ling
Date & Time:   26 Nov 2017  
Location:   Kau Nga Ling (HE 008620)
This Mission
mobilized: 		 

AS332 L2 Super Puma: 2

EC 155 B1: 1

Pilots: 5

Aircrewman Officers: 6

Air Medical Officers: 1

Air Medical Nurse Officers: 1

CAS Mountain Rescue Unit Members: 4

Total Flying Hours: 2.58

Details:

On 26 November 2017, at 1340 hours, Fire Servicers Communication Center (FSCC) tasked out GFS for a mountain rescue at Kau Nga Ling, Lantau Island to rescue a hiker who fell from height.

At 1348 hours, an EC155B1 helicopter arrived on-scene to search and locate the casualty.

At 1405 hours, a Super Puma helicopter arrived on scene. An Air crewman officer and an Air Medical Officer (AMO) were deployed to the casualty location. Unfortunately, after the casualty was assessed by the party, he was certified by the AMO at 1440 hours.

With the efforts from the CAS Mountain Rescue Unit Members, the deceased casualty was transferred to GFS headquarters at 1644 hours.

Rescue of 11 Crew Members from Sunken Vessel Hong-Tai 176 during Typhoon Pakhar
Date & Time:   27 Aug 2017  
Location:   78 miles East of Hong Kong
This Mission
mobilized: 		 

AS332 L2 Super Puma: 1

Challenger 605: 1

Pilots: 4

Aircrewman Officers: 4

Total Flying Hours: 6.25

Details:

At 07:00, GFS was alerted by HKMRCC that a Chinese vessel had been sinking about 64 nautical miles East of Hong Kong. 11 crew members were reported waiting for rescue on the bridge deck and believed to be wearing lifejackets.

At 08:00 1 Challenger 605 fixed wing was deployed to the area and arrived on-scene after 22 minutes. The target vessel was located at 08:38. Bow of the vessel was already submerged. It was confirmed with HKMRCC that the crew members were staying inside the control room. 7 minutes later, all 11 crew members were located.

At 08:20 1 Super Puma L2 helicopter was deployed and arrived on-scene at 09:17. All 11 crew members were rescued at 09:40 and both aircraft returned to GFS Headquarters. The helicopter landed at 10:40.

10 of the crew members’ condition are stable with no injuries. 1 crew member suffered from minor injury on both feet and was treated by GFS. No further medical treatment was required.

The mission was stood down at 10:50.

The search area was located at the East of the severe tropical storm PAKHAR that caused the number 8 typhoon signal to be hoisted in Hong Kong. Hence, the rescue area was affected by hurricane force winds with low cloud base and rough sea state. The crew reported heavy rain with poor visibility down to 500m.

 
Rescue of Crew Members from Sunken Cargo Vessel during Severe Typhoon Hato
Date & Time:   23 and 24 Aug 2017  
Location:   15 miles South West of Hong Kong
This Mission
mobilized: 		 

AS332 L2 Super Puma: 13

Challenger 605: 3

Pilots: 32

Aircrewman Officers: 35

Total Flying Hours: 38.72

Details:

On 23 Aug at 13:45 2017 GFS was alerted by HKMRCC that a Chinese cargo vessel had run aground against reef rocks and half sub-merged into the water about 15 nautical miles South West of Hong Kong. 14 crew members were reported in the water but believed to be wearing lifejackets. Since the vessel was slanting, other rescue vessels were unable to get close to assist, the rescue mission can only rely on our helicopters.

Three helicopters were immediately deployed to the area and arrived on-scene at 14:22. The search area was located at the East of the severe typhoon HATO that caused the number 10 typhoon signal to be hoisted in Hong Kong. Hence, the rescue area was affected by hurricane force winds with low cloud base and heavy rain with poor visibility. The sea state was rough with 10-14 meters swell.

At 14:55 12 crew members were rescued by GFS helicopters, 2 are still missing. The 12 survivors rescued were brought back to GFS Headquarters at the Chek Lap Kok airport. As the survivors were only suffering from minor injuries, none were sent to hospital.

With several other vessels spotted as either capsized or run aground, 3 Super Puma L2 helicopters are still conducting the search and rescue operations in the area.

At 15:46, 1 person in water from another vessel was picked up by GFS helicopter. As he was suffering from hypothermia, he was sent to hospital on arrival at GFS HQ.

At 16:40, 8 persons in water were picked up.

At 17:15, 1 person in water was picked up.

At 18:05, 1 person in water was picked up. As he was unconscious, he was sent to hospital on arrival at GFS HQ.

At 19:00, 16 persons were picked up.

At 19:15, the Search and Rescue operation was temporary stopped.

On 24 Aug 2017, after Severe Typhoon HATO has passed, GFS continued the Search and Rescue operations at the first light and rescued another 12 crew at WANSHAN DAO.

 
Rescue of Crewmen from Sunken Chinese Cargo Vessel
Date & Time:   23 Jul 2017
Location:   40 miles East of Hong Kong
(N22o30’ E114o59’)
This Mission
mobilized: 		 

AS332 L2 Super Puma: 2

Challenger 605: 1

Pilots: 6

Aircrewman Officers: 6

Total Flying Hours: 6.58

Details:

At 09:24 GFS was alerted by HKMRCC that a Chinese cargo vessel had sunk about 40 miles East of Hong Kong after an uncontrollable engine fire, 12 crew members were reported missing but believed to be wearing lifejackets.

A helicopter and an aeroplane were immediately deployed to the area and arrived on-scene at 10:05 to join a Chinese rescue vessel and a helicopter from Zhuhai. The search area was located at the centre of the tropical storm that caused the number 8 typhoon signal to be hoisted in Hong Kong. Consequently, the weather on scene was poor with low cloud, strong wind creating a rough sea state with a 3 to 4 metre swell.

The GFS Helicopter located a group of 10 casualties, of which 6 were rescued by the helicopter with the remaining 4 recovered by a helicopter from Zhuhai. While GFS launched another Helicopter to join the Challenger 605 to search for the 2 missing casualties, the 6 casualties rescued by GFS were brought back to base at the Chek Lap Kok airport and 3 were sent to hospital to be treated for minor injuries by ambulances.

At 11:38, Challenger 605 located the 2 missing casualties and co-ordinated with the on-scene vessels for the rescue. At 11:54 a GFS Helicopter arrived on-scene to render assistance for the rescue, the 2 casualties were finally recovered by a rescue vessel.

The rescue operation was terminated at 12:05 when all the casualties were accounted for and all remaining GFS aircraft returned to base.

 
Mountain Rescue at Tiu Shan Ngam Ma On Shan
Date & Time:   22 Mar 2017
Location:   Tiu Shan Ngam
Ma On Shan (KK168807)
This Mission
mobilized: 		 

AS332 L2 Super Puma: 4

Pilots: 8

Aircrewman Officers: 8

Total Flying Hours: 6.99

Details:

On 21st March 2017 at 20:16, the Fire Services Communications Centre (FSCC) requested the assistance of the Government Flying Service (GFS) to air-lift two hikers who had lost their way at Tiu Shau Ngam near Ma On Shan area.

From an updated weather report with the observation of the Marine Police, the GFS crew was given to know that the on-scene visibility was around 2 to 3 kilometers and the cloud base was about 700 feet. The GFS helicopter could not be launched for the rescue in view of the low visibility and cloud base on scene.

At 00:33 of the following day, FSCC re-tasked GFS for the rescue. Unfortunately, the weather condition remained unsuitable for the helicopter to proceed to the rescue.

At 05:25, GFS was tasked out by FSCC to rescue a fireman who was involved in the rescue operation of the lost way hikers and accidently fell from height and collapsed near the vicinity. A Super Puma helicopter was deployed and arrived on the scene at 07:00. However, the location of the injured fireman was fully covered by low cloud with turbulence conditions which rendered GFS unable to execute the rescue operation.

Given the weather conditions had improved slightly later, a second Super Puma was launched at 08:20. Upon arriving on the scene at 08:40, the crew found that the weather was unsettled. Despite several attempts, the rescue helicopter was still unable to get close to the scene to rescue the fireman. From 11:05 onward, the GFS crew had made several attempts to approach the scene but was forced to return due to poor weather conditions on scene.

At around 14:10, GFS launched a third Super Puma with fresh crew to continue the rescue mission. After several attempts, the injured fireman was successfully rescued and conveyed to the Prince of Wales Hospital.

The helicopter then returned to the scene and air-lifted the two lost way hikers with 6 other firemen.

At 17:55, all the 22 firemen who were involved in this rescue operation were air-lifted from the scene to safety.

 
Mountain Rescue at Sharp Peak, Sai Kung
Date & Time:   12 Feb 2017
Location:   Sharp Peak, Sai Kung (KK298824)
This Mission
mobilized: 		 

AS332 L2 Super Puma: 1

EC155B1 Dolphin: 1

Pilots: 3

Aircrewman Officers: 3

Air Medical Officer: 1

Air Medical Nursing Officer: 1

Total Flying Hours: 1.23

Details:

On 12th February 2017 at time 13:21, Government Flying Service (GFS) received a task out request from the Fire Services Communication Centre (FSCC) to rescue a 50-year-old female hiker who had reported that both her hands were injured at Sharp Peak, near Sai Kung.

GFS responded to the case with a Super Puma helicopter and arrived on scene at 13:51. The crew quickly located the group of hikers who were waving umbrellas halfway up the south side of Sharp Peak. The helicopter chose a clear area on a ridge 20 meters away from the injured hiker to land and a winchman and an Air Medical Officer were deployed to approach the hiker. After assessment, it was found that the hiker had dislocated both arms and immediate medical treatment was necessary.

At 14:10, while treatment was in progress, the GFS Air Command and Control Centre (ACCC) received another urgent task out request that a 60-year-old man had fallen 100 meters from a ridge of Kau Nga Ling on Lantau Island. The second case was more serious than the first. The GFS ACCC then decided to divert the Super Puma helicopter to respond to this one first since the Super Puma helicopter could arrive at the scene on Lantau Island quicker. In the meantime, an EC 155 B1 helicopter was arranged to recover the injured hiker at Sharp Peak afterwards. The EC 155 B1 helicopter eventually arrived at Sharp Peak and landed on a clear area nearby to pick up the injured hiker with one escort. At 14:52 the helicopter left the scene and conveyed the injured hiker to Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital at 14:56.

 
Mountain Rescue at Kau Nga Ling, Lantau
Date & Time:   12 Feb 2017
Location:   Kau Nga Ling, Lantau (HE008620)
This Mission
mobilized: 		 

AS332 L2 Super Puma: 6

EC155B1 Dolphin: 1

Pilots: 5

Aircrewman Officers: 5

Air Medical Nursing Officer: 1

Mountain Rescue Unit Members (CAS): 4

Total Flying Hours: 3.05

Details:

The Government Flying Service (GFS) received a task out request from the Fire Services Communications Centre (FSCC) at 14:02 on 12th February 2017 to rescue a 60-year-old male who fell 100 meters from a ridge at Kau Nga Ling on the southern side of Lantau.

A Super Puma helicopter was diverted from a search and rescue mission and arrived on scene at 14:31. The helicopter located the injured person who was trapped by trees and branches about 100 meters beneath the ridge line. The location was found to be a very steep slope, which posed difficulties to the rescue mission. After a detailed area assessment, the winchman was deployed on the spot for the rescue. After initial assessment, the winchman reported that the injured person was suffering from a serious head injury and hip fracture. Additional manpower to effect the rescue was required. The helicopter responded and returned to GFS base to pick up an additional winchman and 4 members of the CAS MRU at 14:50.

The Super Puma helicopter returned to the scene at 15:05. The additional winchman together with 2 members of the MRU were deployed by winching to assist in the rescue mission. At 16:00, the helicopter recovered the casualty and delivered him to the Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital at 16:09.

The whole mission was completed at 16:21.

 
Fire Fighting at Sugar Loaf Peak, Shatin
Date & Time:   20 Jan 2017
Location:   Sugar Loaf Peak, Shatin (KK119767)
This Mission
mobilized: 		 

AS332 L2 Super Puma: 12

EC155B1 Dolphin: 5

Pilots: 16

Aircrewman Officers: 14

Mountain Rescue Unit Members (CAS): 4

Total Flying Hours: 30.25

Details:

The Government Flying Service (GFS) received a task out request from the Fire Services Communications Centre (FSCC) at 16:05 on 20th January 2017 for aerial firefighting at Sugar Loaf Peak on the eastern side of Shing Mun River, Shatin.

A Dolphin helicopter was diverted and arrived on scene at 16:27 to conduct a fire site recce. The helicopter reported a 200 meter long fire line with multiple isolated fires around the area. At 16:30, a Super Puma helicopter was launched and arrived on scene at 16:42. The helicopter fought the fire until sunset and then returned to base. As requested by FSCC, 2 Super Puma helicopters were launched to carry firemen to the fire scene at 18:31 and 23:42 respectively to continue the firefighting after dark. Due to a fresh northeasterly wind with low humidity, the spread of the fire was difficult to contain, in particular on the steep slopes and at the bottom of a valley.

On 21st January, 4 Super Puma helicopters were launched to fight the fire at 08:00, 10:30, 14:10 and 14:45 respectively. GFS also provided 3 Dolphin and 2 Super Puma helicopters to carry firefighters to the fire scene at 07:40, 10:05, 14:05, 17:35 and 20:57 respectively. By a collaborative effort between the FSD and GFS, most of the fire was put out while the remaining small sections were contained.

On 22nd January, 2 Super Puma helicopters and 1 Dolphin were launched to fight the remaining areas of the fire and to carry firemen to the sceneat 07:45, 10:44 and 08:46 respectively.

The whole firefighting mission was finally completed at 13:22 on 22nd January.

 
Data Collection flight for Typhoon Nida on 1 August 2016
Date & Time:   01 Aug 2016 1440L
Location:   200 nm South East of Hong Kong
This Mission
mobilized: 		  Fixed Wing: 1 x Challenger 605

Pilots: 2

Aircrewman Officers: 1

Total Flying Hours: 3.17

Details:

On 1st August 2016, in respond to a task request from the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) the Government Flying Service sent out a Challenger 605 fixed-wing aircraft to collect meteorological data of Typhoon Nida situated at some 200 nautical miles south east of Hong Kong. The collected data was later used by the Observatory in forecasting a precise track of the typhoon.

Commissioning to service from mid 2016, the Challenger 605 is equipped with a specialized air probe for collecting meteorological data like wind direction and speed, and air humidity.

In the beginning of the flight, the weather was considered calm and free of turbulence. As the Challenger 605 aircraft approached the typhoon from 2000 feet, it found the sea full of white caps and the wind speed was gusting up to 80 knots at the outer zone of Nida. However, the wind speed drastically reduced to less than 10 knots when the storm eye was reached. The aircraft returned to Hong Kong at 1750 hours and the collected data was handed to the HKO for further evaluation.

 
Search and Rescue Operations at Ping Nam Stream
Date & Time:   28 May 2016
Location:   Ping Nam Stream (KK127915)
This Mission
mobilized: 		  AS332 L2 Super Puma: 2

Pilots: 4

Aircrewman Officers: 4

Air Medical Nursing Officers: 3

Mountain Rescue Unit Members (CAS): 4

Total Flying Hours: 3.5

Details:

On 28th May 2016, at 1455 hours HKT, the Government Flying Service (GFS) was alerted by the Fire Services Communication Center (FSCC) that a group of 4 hikers were abseiling down the Ping Nam Stream, and 2 of them were reported being washed down the stream with increasing speed and strength of the water due to the heavy rain.

A Super Puma helicopter was deployed on scene at 1524 hours HKT. With the unstable weather, which posed great difficulties to the rescue mission and potentially endangered flight safety, the helicopter could only begin their search from the bottom of the stream and work their way up-stream as far as the weather permitted. With due consideration of the unstable weather, at 1550 hours HKT, 4 members of the Mountain Rescue Unit (MRU) were deployed at a village close to the bottom of Ping Nam Stream to conduct the search on ground. The helicopter then departed from the scene at 1554 hours HKT and returned to base.

At 1750 hours HKT, GFS was tasked out again by the FSCC for a group of 16 hikers, including the 2 hikers who had been reported to be washed away earlier, were trapped by the violent stream. A Super Puma helicopter was deployed on scene at 1823 hours HKT to conduct the search and rescue mission. However, at 1853 hours HKT, the helicopter was diverted to Nam Chung for another search and rescue mission. At 1913 hours HKT, ground party reached the group of 16 hikers and started to escort them to safety.

At 1852 hours HKT, GFS was alerted by the FSCC again that a group of 8 hikers reported that they were lost near Nam Chung (north of the Ping Nam Stream).

At 1853 hours HKT, as requested by FSCC, GFS re-deployed the helicopter at Ping Nam Stream to Nam Chung to search for this group. At 1943 hours HKT, the group of 8 hikers was located at KK12419151. After passing the information to the officer-in-charge of the FSD ground party, the helicopter stayed on-scene to provide spotlight illumination support under darkness until reaching minimum fuel at 1956 hours HKT. At 2119 hours HKT, the FSD ground party reached the group of 8 hikers and escorted them to safety.

 
Extreme weather condition Search and Rescue Operation
Date & Time:   24 Jan 2016
Location:   Lantau Peak and Tai Mo Shan peak
This Mission
mobilized: 		  AS332 L2 Super Puma

Pilots: 14

Aircrewman Officers: 14

Air Medical Officers or Air Medical Nursing Officers: 7

Total Flying Hours: 8.79

Details:

On 24th January 2016, Hong Kong had experienced one of the most severe cold weather periods in 59 years with the passage of the winter monsoon. The air temperature dropped abruptly to 2 deg Celsius while on high ground the air temperature was recorded below 0 deg Celsius. At 0733 hours HKT, Fire Services Communication Center (FSCC) informed Government Flying Service (GFS) that 4 young people were suffering hypothermia at Lantau Peak and their conditions were critical. Immediately, GFS tasked out a rescue team with one AS332 L2 Super Puma to respond, despite gusting wind up to 50kts with icy rain at Lantau Peak. The 4 hikers were successfully rescued and returned to GFS. They were then transferred to the nearest hospital by FSD ambulance services.

At 0920 hours HKT, FSCC requested GFS to evacuate a mass number of hikers at Tai Mo Shan. The hikers, mostly involved in a hiking race, were trapped by severe cold and gusty weather conditions around Tai Mo Shan check point. A Super Puma was deployed the scene and a winchman was lowered to the ground to assess the situation. However, due to the extreme low temperature, icy rain and wind-chill effect over the high ground, ice started to form quickly on part of the airframe. . As a safety precaution, the aircraft was forced to depart the area temporarily which left behind the winchman to take care of the hikers who were suffering from hypothermia. Later as the weather conditions improved, the rescue helicopter was redeployed back to the scene and rescued one hiker with head injuries and transferred him to Eastern Hospital while another two hypothermic hikers were returned to GFS.

For the whole day on 24th January, GFS mounted continuous rescue efforts to support FSD and CAS for the Tai Mo Shan incident. Due to the extreme weather conditions at high altitude , GFS helicopters were forced to descend to lower altitude from time to time to avoid a buildup of airframe icing which was hazardous to flight operations and increased the risk to the crews involved. On that day, GFS mobilized 14 Pilots, 14 Aircrewman Officers and 7 Air Medical Officers or Air Medical Nursing Officers in 7 rounds of flights, with a total of 8.79 flying hours. A total of 7 hikers were rescued.

 
Search and Rescue Operation for a Sunken Bulk Vessel “Fortune Life”
Date & Time:   27 Nov 2015
Location:   685 km from South East of Hong Kong
(N17°14’ E118°01’)
This Mission
mobilized: 		  Aeroplanes: BAe Jetstream 41 (x 15 rounds of flights)

Pilots: 30

Aircrewman Officers: 15

Total Flying Hours: 77.08

Details:

On 27th November 2015, at 1125 hours HKT, the Government Flying Service (GFS) was alerted by the Hong Kong Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) that a bulk vessel named “Fortune Life” was taking in water, and the Captain decided to abandon ship. The vessel was accommodating 19 crew members and located at about 685km southeast of Hong Kong.

Due to the extreme range of the incident location, GFS tasked out a fixed-wing aircraft Jetstream 41 for the search and rescue mission. GFS mobilized 30 Pilots and 15 Aircrewman Officers in 15 rounds of flights in 10 days, with a total of 77.08 flying hours, for this search and rescue mission. The GFS aircrew accurately deployed 2 inflatable life rafts for the survivors in water. The Jetstream 41 also coordinated with the vessels nearby and 8 distressed crew members were rescued by the vessels.

On 8th December 2015, at 2100 hours HKT, the MRCC gave GFS a stand down notification.

 
Search and Rescue Operation for the Jetfoil Ferry incident near Siu A Chau, South of Lantau Island
Date & Time:   25 Oct 2015
Location:   Near Siu A Chau, South of Lantau Island, Within Hong Kong Boundary
This Mission
mobilized: 		  Helicopter: 2 x Eurocopter AS332 L2 Super Puma Helicopter , in 4 runs

Pilots: 6

Aircrewman Officers: 9

Total Flying Hours: 3.6

Details:

In the evening of 25th October 2015, GFS were tasked by the Hong Kong Fire Services Communication Centre that a jetfoil ferry with 179 passengers on board had collided with an unidentified object and was taking in water. The initial estimate was that there were 30 casualties with various degrees of injury.

Two Super Puma helicopters were prepared and extra crew members were called in. The jetfoil was quickly located by the two helicopters involved, surrounded by Fireboats and Police vessels that were taking onboard the uninjured and minor injured persons. A GFS winchman was deployed onto the jetfoil and a total of 8 of the most serious casualties were winched by the two helicopters and taken to either the Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital or the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre heliport for ambulance transfer to other hospitals.

 
Mountain Rescue at Ngau Ngak Shan, Ma On Shan
Date & Time:   6 Oct 2015
Location:   Ngau Ngak Shan, Ma On Shan (KK169816)
This Mission
mobilized: 		  Helicopter: Eurocopter AS332 L2 Super Puma Helicopter

Pilots: 6

Aircrewman Officers: 7
Remarks:   3 rounds of attempt made (due to adverse weather condition and terrain) and with the assistance of the High Angle Rescue Team of the Fire Services Department

Details:

The Government Flying Service (GFS) received a task out request from the Fire Services Communications Centre (FSCC) at 11:59 on 6th October 2015 to rescue a 60-year-old male who fell 20 meters from a stream at Ngau Ngak Shan.

A Super Puma helicopter was launched and arrived on scene at 12:00. Cloud was generally around 1200 feet and was drifting in and out. The helicopter located the injured person laying on the rock inside a gully. There was unstable weather and the location was found to be very close-by a steep cliff and surrounded by other steeply inclined slopes, which posed difficulties to the rescue mission and potentially endangered flight safety. A request was therefore made for a team of firemen to be ready at the Shatin Fire Station to assist in the rescue mission. In consideration of the unstable weather and fuel endurance, the helicopter decided to return to base at 13:05.

Another Super Puma helicopter was launched and arrived at Shatin at 14:07. However, due to heavy rain at that moment, the helicopter had to detour and landed at the Shatin Fire Station at 14:36 to pick up 5 members of the High Angle Rescue Team (HART) for the rescue. At 15:03, the helicopter deployed the High Angle Rescue Team at a location some 800 meters North-west of the injured person and due to its fuel status, the helicopter returned to base.

Later, a third Super Puma helicopter was launched and reached the scene at 15:04. Cloud was still drifting around the scene of the incident with slight turbulence. However, a winchman was successfully deployed at 15:15. With safety measures and assistance from the HART, the injured person was winched into the helicopter at 15:31. The helicopter was then off scene and arrived at the Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital at 15:43. The injured person was handed over to the hospital staff for treatment.

 
Search and Rescue Operation during the strike of Severe Tropical Storm Mujigae
Date & Time:   04 Oct 2015
Location:   115nm west of Hong Kong, Outside Hong Kong Boundary (N21°37’ E112°21)
This Mission
mobilized: 		  Helicopter: 2 x Eurocopter AS332 L2 Super Puma Helicopter Fixed Wing: 1 x Jetstream J-41

Pilots: 6

Aircrewman Officers: 6

Air Medical Officer: 1

Total Flying Hours: 6.5

Details:

On 4th October 2015, at 1520 hours HKT, the Government Flying Service (GFS) was alerted by the Hong Kong Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre that a cargo vessel ran aground, and the Master decided to abandon ship as the ship was taking on water and in danger of sinking, encountering stormy weather with wind of approximately 74km/h and rough sea state of 4m swell on-scene; visibility was occasionally down to 500m in heavy showers. The vessel was accommodating 14 crew members and located at about 212km west of Hong Kong.

GFS tasked out a fixed-wing aircraft Jetstream 41 and 2 Super Puma helicopter at 1530 hours HKT and 1700 hours HKT respectively. The fixed-wing aircraft arrived on-scene at 1635 hours HKT, and identified the subject vessel. The rescue helicopter arrived on-scene at 1636 hours HKT. All 14 crew members were picked up at 1721 hours HKT, and were brought back to GFS headquarters, while one of them was further sent to the hospital by ambulance for treatment.
 
Search and Rescue Operation during the strike of Typhoon Kalmaegi
Date & Time:   16 Sept 2014
Location:   38nm and 34nm Southwest of Hong Kong, Outside Hong Kong Boundary (N21°57’ E113°25’ and N22°02’ E113°27’ )
This Mission
mobilized: 		  Helicopter: 1 x Eurocopter AS332 L2 Super Puma Helicopter

Pilots: 4

Aircrewman Officers: 4

Total Flying Hours: 3.7

Details:

On 16th September 2014, at approximately one o’clock in the morning, a 96-meter long Chinese cargo ship “HAO JUN” positioned about 20 kilometers southwest of Macau, lost power and the Master decided to abandon ship as the ship was taking on water and in danger of sinking. The Guangdong Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre requested assistance from the Hong Kong Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre and the Government Flying Service was then tasked to rescue the crew.

There was a very strong wind of 100 kilometers per hour as the Typhoon Signal Number 8 was hoisted for Typhoon Kalmaegi creating 10-meter waves battering the vessel. The heavy rain showers cleared the area, allowing the helicopter to be on scene quickly and execute the rescue. The winching conditions were extremely challenging with the rough sea causing the vessel to move violently. But after an hour, all 14 crew members were rescued and brought back to Hong Kong while one of them was further sent to the hospital by ambulance for treatment.

A fresh crew were called in to respond to a further request received at 04:55 hours to rescue the 11-man crew of a barge that was reported aground in virtually the same location as the cargo vessel. After arrival on scene, the helicopter was no longer required as the seas had calmed down to allow the crew to be evacuated by boat.
 
Date & Time:   21 Feb 2014
Location:   400 km from South West of Hong Kong
(N18°52′ , E112°50′)
This Mission
mobilized: 		 

Aeroplanes: 1 x BAe Jetstream 41

Helicopter: 1 x Eurocopter AS332 L2 Super Puma Helicopter

Pilots: 4

Aircrewman Officers: 3

Total Flying Hours: 9.5

Details:

A task-out request by the Hong Kong Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (HKMRCC) was received at 18:05 for evacuating an injured crewmember who had suffered from severe burns by hot water on a Taiwan fishing vessel. The fishing vessel was about 400 km South West of Hong Kong.

The Government Flying Service (GFS) deployed a Super Puma helicopter and a Jetstream 41 (J-41) aeroplane at 19:39 and 19:42 respectively. The J-41 arrived on scene first and located the fishing vessel at 20:35. It established a two-way communication with the fishing vessel and remained on scene as top cover until the helicopter arrived later.

The helicopter arrived on scene at 21:15. It was a very dark night with no horizon. The fishing vessel was pitching up and down with wires and masts due to a rough sea. The winching area on the fishing vessel was small. These caused great difficulties to the rescue mission. The injured crewmember was winched from the fishing vessel into the helicopter after several attempts. The patient was in severe pain but stable. The helicopter was off scene at 21:45. The helicopter had to conduct a refuelling stop at a floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel in South China Sea on the return leg. The patient was transferred to the Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital for treatment at 01:14 on 22nd February.
 
Medevac Operation for 1 crewmember on a Hong Kong fishing vessel
Date & Time:   28 Oct 2013
Location:   320 km from South West of Hong Kong
(N20°48’ E112°24’)
This Mission
mobilized: 		 

Aeroplanes: BAe Jetstream 41

Helicopter: Eurocopter AS332 L2 Super Puma Helicopter

Pilots: 4

Aircrewman Officers: 3

Ambulance Officer (FSD): 1

Total Flying Hours: 5.6

Details:

A task-out request by the Hong Kong Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (HKMRCC) was received at 06:55 to rescue a crewmember who suffered from head injury on a Hong Kong fishing vessel. The vessel was about 320 km South West of Hong Kong.

The Government Flying Service (GFS) deployed a Jetstream 41 (J-41) aeroplane and a Super Puma helicopter. The J-41 arrived on scene first and located the vessel quickly. The rescue helicopter arrived soon and the injured crewmember was winched onboard at 09:15. He was then taken to the Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital for treatment.
 
Medevac Operation for 1 crewmember on a yacht "SURFDUDE"
Date & Time:   27 Oct 2013
Location:   424 km from South of Hong Kong
(N18°27’ E113°26’)
This Mission
mobilized: 		 

Aeroplanes: BAe Jetstream 41

Helicopter: Eurocopter AS332 L2 Super Puma Helicopter

Pilots: 4

Aircrewman Officers: 3

Air Medical Nursing Officers: 2

Total Flying Hours: 10.5

Details:

A task-out request by the Hong Kong Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (HKMRCC) was received at 09:52 for evacuating an injured crewmember who had fallen from height on a yacht "SURFDUDE". The yacht was about 424 km South of Hong Kong.

The Government Flying Service (GFS) deployed a Super Puma helicopter and a Jetstream 41 (J-41) aeroplane at 10:58 and 11:05 respectively. As the yacht was out of the normal operating range of the rescue helicopter, the helicopter had to conduct a refuelling stop en-route at an oil-rig in South China Sea. The J-41 arrived on scene first and located the yacht at 13:15. It established a two-way communication with the yacht and remained on scene as top cover until the helicopter arrived later.

The helicopter arrived on scene at 13:25. The yacht was swaying with a high mast due to a rough sea. The winching area on the yacht was small and badly obstructed by some wires. These caused great difficulties to the rescue mission. The injured crewmember was winched from the yacht and he was stable. The J-41 and the helicopter were off scene at 15:36 and 15:53 respectively. Two air medical nursing officers onboard was monitoring the patient’s condition throughout the return flight. The helicopter conducted another refueling stop on the oil-rig on the return leg. The patient was transferred to the Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital at 16:34 for treatment.
 
Search & Rescue Operation for 10 crew on the sank yacht "WALAWALA2"
Date & Time:   18 OCT 2013 01:40
Location:   240 km from Southwest of Hong Kong
(N20°32’ E112°50’)
This Mission
mobilized: 		 

Aeroplanes: BAe Jetstream 41

Helicopter: Eurocopter AS332 L2 Super Puma Helicopter

Pilots: 4

Aircrewman Officers: 3

Total Flying Hours: 6.8

Details:

A task-out request by the Hong Kong Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (HKMRCC) was received at 01:40 on 18th October 2013 to rescue 10 crew members on a sinking yacht "WALAWALA2". Eventually, the yacht sank and the crew was on a life raft, waiting for rescue. The position was about 240 km southwest of Hong Kong.

The Government Flying Service (GFS) deployed a Jetstream 41 (J-41) and a Super Puma Helicopter for the rescue mission. The fixed-wing aircraft and the helicopter departed from GFS headquarters at 03:26 and 03:35 respectively. Meanwhile, MRCC updated that all 10 crew members were picked up by a yacht nearby, called "KRAMPUS". At approximately 03:55, the J-41 arrived on scene, located the yacht “KRAMPUS” and established a two-way communication. The J-41 remained on scene as a top cover until the helicopter arrived later.

The helicopter arrived on scene at 04:28 and spotted the target yacht. The weather was unstable with wind strength up to strength 6-7 and the sea state was 4-5 metres at the target location. This made the yacht with a high mast an unstable platform to deploy the winchman in a pitch dark night. After several trials, the helicopter crew deployed the winchman onto the yacht and established the transfer of the crew by the HI-LINE technique. 8 crew members and the winchman were subsequently recovered to the helicopter. Finally, the helicopter has reached its minimum fuel for its return flight and departed the scene at 05:50. The remaining 2 crew members were transferred back to Hong Kong by the yacht "KRAMPUS" on 19th October 2013. All 8 crew members were stable and conscious. They were transferred back to the GFS headquarters at 06:45 and handed over to the Immigration Department for clearance.

 
Medevac Operation for 1 crew member on a container vessel "Wan Shou Shan"
Date & Time:   11 Sep 2013
Location:   550 km from South East of Hong Kong
(N18°05’ E116°58’)
This Mission
mobilized: 		 

Aeroplanes: BAe Jetstream 41

Helicopter: Eurocopter AS332 L2 Super Puma Helicopter

Pilots: 4

Aircrewman Officers: 3

Total Flying Hours: 9.4

Details:

A task-out request by the Hong Kong Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (HKMRCC) was received at 16:44 on 11th Sepember 2013 to rescue a crew member who was reported suffering from serious hand injury after falling from height on a container vessel "Wan Shou Shan". The position was about 550 km South East of Hong Kong.

As the vessel was out of the helicopter operating range, it was requested to head cruise towards Hong Kong to shorten the distance range. The Government Flying Service (GFS) tasked out a Super Puma helicopter and a Jetstream 41 (J-41) aeroplane at 19:27 and 20:02 respectively. Because of the extended range, the rescue helicopter had to conduct a refuelling stop en-route at an oil-rig in South China Sea at 20:36. The J-41 arrived on scene and located the vessel at 21:34. It established a two-way communication with the vessel and remained on scene as top cover until the helicopter arrived later.

The helicopter arrived on scene at 21:52. It was raining heavily with visibility around four kilometres. The helicopter landed on a helicopter landing area at the centre of deck of the vessel. The casualty was escorted into the helicopter by an aircrewman officer. His wrist was fractured and right foreman deformed but the general condition was stable. The helicopter and the J-41 departed from the vessel at 22:30 and flew directly back to Hong Kong. The helicopter landed at the Eastern Hospital to transfer the casualty at 23:53.
 
Medivac Operation for 1 crew member on the container vessel "ELLY MAERSK"
Date & Time:   22 Aug 2013 02:00
Location:   330 km from South of Hong Kong
(N19°48’ E113°55’)
This Mission
mobilized: 		 

Aeroplanes: BAe Jetstream 41

Helicopter: Eurocopter AS332 L2 Super Puma Helicopter

Pilots: 4

Aircrewman Officers: 3

Total Flying Hours: 6.6

Details:

A task-out request by the Hong Kong Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (HKMRCC) was received at 02:00 on 22nd August 2013 to rescue a crew member who was reported suffering from serious illness onboard a container vessel "ELLY MAERSK". The position was about 330 km south of Hong Kong.

The Government Flying Service (GFS) called in 2 fixed-wing pilots and 2 Aircrewman officers and deployed a Jetstream 41 (J-41) and a Super Puma Helicopter for the rescue mission. Both aircraft departed from GFS headquarters at 03:40. At approximately 04:20, the J-41 arrived on scene, located the vessel and made two-way communication. The J-41 remained on scene as top cover until the helicopter arrived later.

The rescue helicopter encountered poor weather with low cloud base during en-route. The weather improved towards the position of the vessel. The helicopter arrived on scene at 04:40 and immediately deployed a winchman onboard the vessel to assess the situation. The patient and the winchman were subsequently recovered to the helicopter at 05:24. The patient was stable and conscious but displayed signs of confusion. The J-41 and the helicopter were both off scene and started returning to Hong Kong at 05:24. Due to poor visibility at the hospital, the patient was transferred back to GFS headquarters at 06:20 and then sent to hospital by ambulance.
 
Search and Rescue Operation for 21 Crewmembers from a Cargo Vessel "Trans Summer"
Date & Time:   14 Aug 2013
Location:   80 km from South West of Hong Kong
(N21°54.9’ E113°40.4’)
This Mission
mobilized: 		 

Aeroplane: BAe Jetstream 41

Helicopter: 2 Eurocopter AS332 L2 Super Puma Helicopters

Pilots: 4

Aircrewman Officers: 4

Total Flying Hours: 3

Details:

On 14th August, 2013, at 10:39, the Government Flying Service (GFS) was requested by the Hong Kong Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre to evacuate 21 crew members from a cargo vessel "TRANS SUMMER". The cargo vessel was about 80 Kilometers South West of Hong Kong and was being affected by Severe Typhoon Utor.

A Jetstream J-41 aeroplane flew to the scene first and the cargo vessel was quickly located. The vessel was listing badly. The crewmembers had abandoned the vessel before the J-41 aeroplane arrived on scene. Two Super Puma helicopters were also launched to rescue the crewmembers. The waves were 10 to 15 meters high and the wind was about 90 kilometers per hour. A total of 19 crewmembers were winched into the two helicopters from the sea or liferafts. The remaining 2 crewmembers were picked up by a Chinese rescue vessel. The 19 crewmembers were then taken to the GFS headquarters at the Hong Kong International Airport as medical attention was not required.
 
Rescue mission for a biker struck by lightning in Wa Shan, Sheung Shui
Date & Time:   29 Jul 2013
Location:   Wa Shan, Sheung Shui
This Mission
mobilized: 		 

Helicopter: Eurocopter AS332 L2 Super Puma Helicopter

Pilots: 2

Aircrewman Officers: 2

Air Medical Nursing Officer: 1

Details:

The Government Flying Service (GFS) received a task out request from the Fire Services Communication Centre (FSCC) at 15:25 on 29th July 2013. The mission was to rescue a male biker struck by lightning in Wa Shan, Sheung Shui. GFS was told that the patient was conscious and helicopter rescue was required.

GFS launched a Super Puma Helicopter for the rescue mission. It arrived on the scene at 15:54 and located the patient immediately. The patient was airlifted onto the rescue helicopter at 16:10. The patient was conscious with normal vital signs; however, some suspected burn marks from the lightning strike were found near the patient’s neck. Finally, the patient was transferred to the Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital.
 
Search and Rescue Operation for evacuation of 6 Crewmembers from a Vanuatu Fishing Vessel
Date & Time:   18 Jul 2013
Location:   400 km from South East of Hong Kong
(N21°18’ E118°21’)
This Mission
mobilized: 		 

Aeroplane: BAe Jetstream 41

Helicopter: Eurocopter AS332 L2 Super Puma Helicopter

4 Pilots

4 Aircrewman Officers

Total Flying Hours: 6

Details:

On 18th July, 2013, at 07:00, the Government Flying Service (GFS) was alerted by the Hong Kong Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre that a Vanuatu fishing vessel had lost her engine power and was encountering very stormy weather with wind of approximately 50km/h and rough sea state of 4m to 5m swell on-scene. The fishing vessel consisted of 12 crewmembers and located at about 400km south-east of Hong Kong near the track of Tropical Storm, Cimaron.

GFS tasked out a Super Puma helicopter and a Jet Stream 41 aeroplane at 08:20 and 09:00 respectively. The J-41 aeroplane arrived on-scene at 10:10 and located the target vessel. Because of the extended range, the rescue helicopter had to conduct a refuelling stop en-route at an oil-rig in South China Sea. The rescue helicopter arrived on-scene at 11:25. The rescue helicopter picked up 6 Vanuatu crewmembers from the fishing vessel and conducted another refueling stop on the oil-rig again on the return leg. A Chinese rescue boat was in transit to recover the 6 Chinese crewmembers remained on the vessel.

 
Mountain Rescue at Wong Lung Hung Stream, Lantau Island
Date & Time:   7 Jul 2013
Location:   Wong Lung Stream, Lantau Island
This Mission
mobilized: 		 

Helicopter: 1 x Eurocopter AS332 L2 Super Puma Helicopter

2 Pilots

2 Aircrewman Officers

1 Air Medical Officer

1 Air Medical Nursing Officer

4 members of the MSRC of the CAS

Details:

At 16:22 on 7th July, the Fire Service Department (FSD) requested assistance from the Government Flying Service (GFS) to rescue an injured hiker suffering from head injury after falling from height at Wong Lung Stream, Lantau Island.

A Super Puma helicopter was launched and arrived on scene at 17:13. The helicopter located the injured hiker at the stream, which was very swift due to heavy rain. The injured hiker was surrounded by boulders and dense foliage. These factors posed difficulties to the rescue mission and potentially endangered flight safety. As it was not suitable to deploy a winchman only onto the scene, the helicopter returned to the GFS base. Then, the helicopter carried four members of the Mountain Search and Rescue Company (MSRC) of the Civil Aid Service (CAS) onboard. At 17:56, the helicopter successfully deployed two members of the MSRC and the winchman onto the scene. With safety measures and assistance from the MSRC, the injured hiker was recovered into the helicopter with the winchman. At 18:11, the helicopter left the scene. At 18:12, the injured hiker was however certified dead by the air medical officer onboard while the helicopter was on the way to the hospital.
 
Search and Rescue Operation for a worker fell from height at Kei Leng Ha Lo Wai, Sai Kung
Date & Time:   26 Feb 2013
Location:   Kei Leng Ha Lo Wai, Sai Kung (KK192808)
This Mission
mobilized: 		 

Helicopter: 1 x Eurocopter AS332 L2 Super Puma Helicopter

2 Pilots

3 Aircrewman Officers

Details:

The Government Flying Service (GFS) was tasked out by the Fire Services Department to rescue a worker who had fallen from height at Kei Leng Ha Lo Wai, Sai Kung (KK192808) at 12:15 on 26th February 2013.

GFS deployed a Super Puma Helicopter for the rescue at 12:30 and it was on-scene at 12:40. The survivor was located at the given grid with 3 firemen. As the survivor was located at the bottom of a cliff with tall trees around, a winchman was deployed on the spot. After an initial medical assessment, the survivor was found conscious but suffering from head and left shoulder injuries. Finally, the winchman and the survivor were picked up by the rescue helicopter at 13:08 using HI-LINE winching and the survivor was transferred to the Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital at 13:12.

 
Search and Rescue Operation for 2 hikers fell from height at Ngau Ngak Shan, Ma On Shan
Date & Time:   21 Feb 2013
Location:   Ngau Ngak Shan, Ma On Shan (KK172810)
This Mission
mobilized: 		 

Helicopter: 1 x Eurocopter AS332 L2 Super Puma Helicopter

2 Pilots

3 Aircrewman Officers

Details:

Government Flying Service (GFS) was tasked out by the Fire Services Department to rescue 2 hikers who had fallen from height at Ngau Ngak Shan, Ma On Shan (KK172810) at 14:21 on 21st February 2013.

GFS deployed a Super Puma Helicopter for the rescue at 14:26 and it was on-scene at 14:36. As the hikers fell into a deep gorge and the area was heavily vegetated, the rescue crew had difficulty in locating the hikers at first. After direct contact on the phone with the hikers, the crew identified them and eventually deployed 2 winchmen for the rescue. The initial medical assessment of the survivors found they had suffered back injury and were unable to move. The winchmen on-scene required 30 mins to provide medical treatments to the survivors, so the helicopter returned to the GFS base for refueling. Finally, both survivors and winchmen were picked up by the helicopter at 16:04 and both injured survivors were transferred to the Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital at 16:47.

The major difficulty of this rescue mission was because the location of the survivors was very close to a steep cliff and so the helicopter had to work very near obstacles.in a high hover to carry out winching, which was a challenge for our crew. Moreover, the conditions of the survivors required extensive on-the-spot medical treatment by 2 winchmen before sending them to the hospital. Providing medical treatment in such a demanding environment is also a valuable experience to our crew.

 
Search and Rescue Operation for 6 crew fallen overboard from a Hong Kong fishing vessel "珠灣3849"
Date & Time:   18 Jan 2013 04:02 – 18 Jan 2013 07:37
Location:   120 km from South West of Hong Kong
(N21°28’ E113°31’)
This Mission
mobilized: 		 

Aeroplane: BAe Jetstream 41

Helicopter: Eurocopter AS332 L2 Super Puma Helicopter

4 Pilots

3 Aircrewman Officers

Total Flying Hours: 5

Details:

At 04:02 this Friday morning, 18th January 2013, GFS was alerted by the Hong Kong Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre that contact had been lost with a Hong Kong registered fishing vessel after it had collided with a cargo vessel. A Jetstream J41 fixed wing aircraft and a Super Puma helicopter were sent to the incident position which was about 120 kilometers south west of Hong Kong. A further helicopter crew were called in and placed on immediate readiness to assist the helicopter on scene.

The weather in the incident area was relatively good but the air and sea temperatures were cool. The helicopter arrived on scene at 05:40 and was directed to a flashing light in the water by the fixed wing aircraft. Two survivors were rescued from water by helicopter. They were suffering from hypothermia. The remaining 4 fishing boat crew members were taken aboard a vessel that was assisting in the search.

The survivors on the helicopter were taken to Eastern Hospital on Hong Kong Island.

 
Search and Rescue Operation for a male hit by a boat and suffering from head injury at Leung Shuen Wan, Sai Kung
Date & Time:   10 July 2012
Location:   Leung Shuen Wan, Sai Kung (KK268713)
This Mission
mobilized: 		 

Helicopter: 1 x Eurocopter AS332 L2 Super Puma Helicopter

2 Pilots

2 Aircrewman Officers

Details:

Government Flying Service (GFS) was tasked out by the Fire Services Department to rescue a male who was suspected being hit by a boat and suffering from head injury at Leung Shuen Wan, Sai Kung (KK268713) at 12:57 on 10th July 2012.

GFS deployed a Super Puma Helicopter for the rescue at 13:08. Later, GFS Air Command and Control Centre (ACCC) was informed that the injured person had been transferred to a Police Launch. The update information was then passed to the rescue helicopter and it arrived on scene at 13:15. A GFS winchman was deployed to the Police Launch to assess the situation.

The rescue helicopter picked up the injured person from the Police Launch at 13:30. The injured person was reported sustained head injury with serious bleeding. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was given en-route. At 13:33, The Helicopter landed at Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital (PYNEH) and the injured person was transferred to the hospital.

 
Search and Rescue Operation for 2 crew members on Vietnam fishing vessel QNG 96246 TS suffering from serious head injuries
Date & Time:   5 Jul 2012 19:01 – 6 Jul 2012 00:05
Location:   370 km from South of Hong Kong
(N19°06’ E113°48’)
This Mission
mobilized: 		 

Aeroplanes: BAe Jetstream 41

Helicopters: Eurocopter AS332 L2 Super Puma Helicopter

4 Pilots

3 Aircrewman Officers

2 Ambulance Officers

Total Flying Hours: 5.1

Details:

A tasking-out request by Hong Kong Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (HKMRCC) was received at 19:01 on 5th July 2012 to rescue two crew members who were reported suffering from serious head injuries onboard a Vietnam fishing vessel. The position was about 370 km south of Hong Kong.

Government Flying Service (GFS) deployed a Jetstream 41 (J-41) and a Super Puma Helicopter for the rescue mission. The aircraft departed from headquarters at 19:14 & 19:35 respectively. At approximately 20:09, the J-41 arrived on scene and located the vessel. The vessel was positively identified by flashing light and confirmed by HKMRCC. As the J-41 was unable to establish effective communication with the vessel, all messages were relayed via HKMRCC. Subsequently, the J-41 remained on scene as top cover until the helicopter arrived later.

As the position of the vessel was outside the normal range of the rescue helicopter, a refuelling stop en-route was required halfway at an oil-rig in South China Sea. The rescue helicopter arrived on scene at 22:02. In total darkness and open sea conditions, the helicopter deployed a winchman onboard the fishing vessel to assess the situation. It was revealed that the two casualties were unconscious and suffering from two to three degrees burnt. The two casualties and the winchman were recovered back to the helicopter at 22:39. The J-41 and the helicopter were both off scene and returning to Hong Kong at 22:40. The rescue helicopter landed at Eastern Hospital and transferred the casualties to the hospital at 00:05 on 6th July 2012.

 
Casualty evacuation for a traffic accident in Sai Kung
Date & Time:   10 Mar 2012 15:59 – 16:42
Location:   Hiram's Highway in Sai Kung
This Mission
mobilized: 		 

Aircraft:
Eurocopter EC155 B1 Helicopter

Eurocopter AS332 L2 Super Puma Helicopter

Pilots: 3

Aircrewman Officers: 3

Total flying hours: 1.5

Details:

A serious traffic accident occurred in Sai Kung in which two minivans collided head-on at around 1520 on Sunday, 10th March 2012. A total of 22 people were reported injured in this accident. Due to large number of casualties and traffic gridlock, GFS was requested by Fire Service Department at 1559 to conduct highway rescue mission. Due to limited landing area available for helicopter at accident scene, GFS coordinated with FSD and HKPF to use Marine Police East Div HQs at Sai Kung as triage point for casualty transfer by helicopter.

At 1621, an EC155B1 helicopter was deployed on-scene. Subsequently at 1627, an AS332L2 Super Puma helicopter was deployed to Sai Kung Marine Police East Div HQs. At 1636, a seriously injured casualty and an escort were picked up by the Super Puma helicopter. They were transferred to the Eastern Hospital 6 minutes later.

 
Search and Rescue mission for 8 crewmembers on Vessel "粵陸豐29928" in distress
Date & Time:   20 Dec 2011 01:48 – 07:17
Location:   Near the Pratas Islands, 315 km to South East of Hong Kong
(N20°45′ , E116°54′)
This Mission
mobilized: 		 

Aircraft:
BAe Jetstream 41 Aeroplane

Eurocopter AS332 L2 Super Puma Helicopter

Pilots: 4

Aircrewman Officers: 3

Total flying hours: 3.25 hours

Details:

A Chinese fishing vessel “粵陸豐29928” was reported aground and taking in water near the Pratas Islands, 170 nm (approx 310 km) south-east of Hong Kong. There were eight crewmembers onboard without sufficient lifejackets. Three of them were suffering sea sickness. At 0148, Hong Kong Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) requested Government Flying Service (GFS) to launch an aircraft for the rescue mission.

The Jetstream 41 (J-41) arrived at the target location first and established a good radio communication with the fishing vessel. The J-41 identified the target by instructing the fishing vessel to flash its lights. The fishing vessel was found aground and listing about 45 degrees to the starboard resting on the reef itself. A winching (Hi-Line) briefing was given to the crewmembers of the fishing vessel.

The Superpuma Helicopter arrived 45 minutes later. A winchman was deployed onto the fishing vessel at an operating height of 50 feet after the situation had been assessed by the helicopter. As the winching (Hi-Line) briefing had been given previously, all the crewmembers of the fishing vessel were winched into the helicopter expeditiously. Finally, all the crewmembers of the fishing vessel were safely brought back to GFS headquarters, arriving at 0712 in the morning.

As the datum was far away from Hong Kong, the helicopter crew needed to make precise planning for the whole mission, particularly on the fuel requirements. A refuelling stop at an oil-rig en-route was prepared in case of extra fuel requirement on the return leg. On scene, the fishing vessel was listing about 45 degrees. All these factors increased the difficulty during the operation. With excellent team effort from all flight crew and officers at Air Command and Control Centre at GFS HQs, the mission was successfully completed.
 
Search and Rescue mission for 21 crewmembers on Vessel "Bright Ruby" in distress
Date & Time:   21 Nov 2011 15:21 – 25 Nov 2011 18:05
Location:   626km to South of Hong Kong
(N16°33′ , E114°00′)
This Mission
mobilized: 		 

Aircraft:
BAe Jetstream 41 aeroplanes (Flew 6 missions)

Pilots: 12

Aircrewman Officers: 7

Observers: 4

Total flying hours: 22.2 hours

Details:

The Jetstream 41 arrived at the target location but found that the vessel had already sunk. There was only some debris and 2 life rafts visible in the area. The Jetstream 41 acted as a rescue commander and coordinated with vessels in the vicinity using radio communications to carry out the rescue. Using this method, our crew managed to assist in the rescue of 3 persons in the sea throughout 4 days of search and rescue. 3 other crewmembers were also recovered by vessels in the area.

A tasking-out request by Hong Kong Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) was received at 15:21 on 21st November 2011. A Cargo vessel “Bright Ruby” was reported in distress and it was suspected that it had sunk. As the location was a long distance from Hong Kong, only fixed wing aircraft were deployed for the search and rescue operation.

The search area was large and a long distance from Hong Kong, and our aircraft had to fly at a low height and slow speed to search for the survivors. The complexity of the mission was increased as the search location was outside the Hong Kong Flight Information Region (HKFIR), so our aircraft had to be granted clearance to operate inside the airspace of Manila and Sanya, Hainan.

Finally, the search was stood down by MRCC at 18:05 on 25tg November 2011.
 
GFS took part in Cheung Chau rescue

Following an incident that involved a ferry in the Cheung Chau Typhoon Shelter today (21st October 2011), the Government Flying Service deployed helicopters for five flights to deliver nine injured persons to hospitals from 6 am to 8.55 am today.

Three seriously injured persons were sent to Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital. Six other injured persons were delivered to Wan Chai Helipad and taken to hospitals by ambulances.

 
Search and Rescue Operation for 7 crew members of "粵陽江9899" in Distress
Date:   4 Oct 2011
Location:   Tai Shek Stream, Tai Mo Shan (KK 034 823)
Mobilized:  

Helicopter: 1 x Eurocopter AS332 L2 Super Puma Helicopter

2 Pilots
2 Aircrewman Officers

11:57

 GFS was tasked out by the Fire Services Department to rescue a hiker fell from height at Tai Shek Stream, Tai Mo Shan

12:20

 Super Puma Helicopter took off from GFS base.

12:27

 Helicopter arrived on scene.

12:50

 The injured hiker was located with a group of hikers underneath trees along a stream on a steep slope. A winchman was deployed to access the situation.

13:05

 Helicopter left the scene and landed at Shek Kong aerodrome to reserve the fuel while the winchman was conducting first aid to the injured hiker.

13:40

 Helicopter returned on scene and picked up the injured hiker with the winchman.

13:48

 Helicopter landed at Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital and transferred the injured hiker to the hospital.
 
Search and Rescue Operation for 7 crew members of "粵陽江9899" in Distress
Date:   21 Feb 2011
Location:   166 km from South West of Hong Kong
(N21°22′ , E112°58′)
This Mission
mobilized: 		 

Aeroplanes : 3 x BAe Jetstream 41

Helicopters:
2 x Eurocopter AS332 L2 Super Puma Helicopter

10 Pilots
10 Aircrewman Officers

21st Feb 2011

23:55

 GFS was alerted by the Hong Kong Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) that a fishing vessel “粵陽江9899” was taking in water at 8:30 p.m. at 237 degrees, position 166 km South West of Waglan. The master declared “abandon ship” and a total of 7 crews on board required assistance. The fishing vessel sunk and crews fell into water at 9:50 p.m. on 21st February 2011.

22nd Feb 2011

01:21

 Jetstream 41 Aeroplane and Super Puma Helicopter took off from GFS base.

01:55

 Aeroplane and Helicopter arrived on scene & located 5 survivors.

02:55

 Helicopter picked up 5 survivors and continued to search for the 2 remaining crew members.

04:30

 Aeroplane and Helicopter were off scene. The 5 survivors were brought back to GFS base. The 2 crewmembers were still missing.

05:00

 All GFS aircrafts landed at GFS base.

07:27

 Helicopter took off and conducted the second wave of search.

07:58

 Helicopter arrived on scene.

08:49

 Aeroplane took off and conducted the second wave of search.

09:18

 Helicopter was off scene and nothing was found. Aeroplane arrived on scene and continued the search.

13:00

 Aeroplane was off scene and nothing was found.

13:30

 Aeroplane landed at GFS base.

23rd Feb 2011

08:45

 Aeroplane took off and conducted the third wave of search.

09:30

 Aeroplane arrived on scene.

13:00

 Aeroplane was off scene and nothing was found.

14:00

 Aeroplane landed at GFS base.
 
Search and Rescue Operation for 17 crew members of Tanker “Global Juno” in Distress
Date:   30 Oct 2010
Location:   180 km South East of Hong Kong
(N20°59′ , E115°09′)
This Mission
mobilized: 		 

Aeroplane : 1 x BAe Jetstream 41

Helicopters:
1 x Eurocopter AS332 L2 Super Puma Helicopter

4 Pilots
3 Aircrewman Officers


0516   GFS alerted by the Hong Kong Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) that a tanker ship “GLOBAL JUNO” was taking in water at 1:53 a.m. on 30th October 2010 at 148 degrees, position 180 km South East of Waglan. The master declared “abandon ship” and a total of 17 crews were on board.
0740   Jetstream arrived on scene & located the tanker ship and acted as the on-scene- commander.
0755   Super Puma arrived on scene and commenced rescue operation.
0854   All 17 crew winched up by Super Puma and dropped off on the bulk carrier named “RBD FIUGGI”, the ship was proceeding to Indonesia, estimate arrival at the noon time on 3 Nov 2010.
0935   All GFS aircraft landed Chek Lap Kok Base.
 
Search and Rescue Operation for 10 crew members of a sunken fishing vessel
Date:   02 Feb 2010
Location:   46 miles North East of Hong Kong.
(N22°29′ , E115°03′)
This Mission
mobilized: 		 

Aeroplane: 2 x BAe Jetstream 4100

Helicopters:
2 x Eurocopter AS332L2 Super Puma Helicopters

8 Pilots
6 Aircrewmen Officers


0445   GFS was tasked out by the Hong Kong Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) that a fishing vessel “粵汕尾 40051” sunk in position 46 miles North East of Hong Kong.
0610   Super Puma airborne from GFS Headquarters at Chek Lap Kok
0700   Super Puma arrived on scene.
0725   Super Puma picked up 4 survivors.
0737   MRCC reported that Guang Dong Searching Vessel '南海救169' had picked up 2 survivors.
0750   Jetstream airborne from GFS Headquarters at Chek Lap Kok.
0809   Super Puma returned to GFS Headquarters with 4 survivors.
0810   Jetstream arrived on scene.
0840   MRCC reported that Guang Dong Searching Vessel '南海救169' had picked up 1 more survivor.
0854   Second Super Puma airborne from GFS Headquarters at Chek Lap Kok.
0924   Super Puma arrived on scene.
1040   MRCC reported that Guang Dong Searching Vessel '南海救169' had picked up 1 more survivor. 2 survivors were still missing.
1209   Jetstream and Super Puma were off scene and landed GFS headquarters at 1230 and 1247 respectively.
1408   Second Jetstream was launched for searching the 2 missing survivors.
1431   Jetstream arrived on scene.
1807   Jetstream was off scene.
1831   Jetstream landed GFS headquarters.
 
GFS crews and helicopter return home from Sichuan

The crew of the Government Flying Service (GFS) Super Puma helicopter returned to Hong Kong today (June 6) after completing their rescue and relief work in earthquake-hit Sichuan.

Yesterday (June 5), the Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office, Sichuan Provincial Peoples' Government, Mr Cui Zhiwei, and Mr Lu Er Xu from the Helicopter Command Centre of Civil Aviation Administration, on behalf of the Disaster Relief Command of the Sichuan Provincial People's Government, presented a banner to the GFS crew members in appreciation of their efforts in providing assistance in the rescue and relief work in the disaster areas.

The Super Puma helicopter departed from Guanghan this morning. The flight crew of the Super Puma consisted of two pilots and two engineers. Other members of the team will return home by commercial flights today and tomorrow.

"We're very proud of the work our crews have done in Sichuan. It was the result of the collective efforts of many people, including the crews of the other relief forces who shared the temporary base with us in Guanghan,"Controller of GFS Captain Michael Chan said.

Over the three-week deployment, the GFS crews were involved in 26 operations in which 96 casualties were brought to safety and 119 people to the disaster area. Most of those 119 persons were members of ground search teams and specialists who monitored the condition of the quake lake in Tangjiashan.

6 June 2008

 
GFS helicopter recovers two injured mine workers in Sichuan

The Government Flying Service (GFS) Super Puma helicopter today (June 1) has successfully recovered two injured mine workers who had been trapped in the mountainous area in Mianzhu, Sichuan province.

After being trapped for 19 days, the two survivors, aged 51 and 45, were found by a People's Liberation Army (PLA) search team that was sent to the scene by the GFS helicopter yesterday. However, the rescue operation was prevented from continuing by the deteriorating weather conditions in the afternoon. This morning, the injured mine workers were airlifted to a place of safety by the GFS helicopter. The pair, reported to be weak, were transferred to a local hospital for medical treatment afterwards.

Two week after being sent to Sichuan to assist in rescue work in Sichuan, the GFS helped to rescue over 90 survivors. The GFS rescue team will continue its work in Sichuan.

1st June 2008

 
GFS Involvement in the Rescue and Relief Work in Sichuan

The recent earthquake in Sichuan Province brought tremendous loss of both human life and property in China. It is anticipated that much effort will be required in restoring lives back to normal.

On 17th May 2008, a five-man team of the GFS comprising pilots, aircrewman officers and an engineer arrived in Chengdu to join the air relief force in Guanghan Airport, some 50 km to the north of Chengdu. Since then, the team has worked with the Ministry of Communications rescue crews in various operations. These included recovering survivors in mountainous regions, transporting ground search teams to remote sites where casualties were reported missing and transferring supplies to casualties at the disaster scenes.

To address the needs for reinforcing the resources required for relief missions, a GFS Super Puma helicopter fully equipped for search and rescue operations was ferried to Guanghan airport through Guilin and Guiyang on 23rd May 2008. It was joined by one of the department's fixed-wing Jetstream 41 (J41), which landed in Guanghan the same day carrying over 900 kgs of rescue equipment and replenishing materials needed by the helicopter. After unloading, the J41 returned to Chek Lap Kwok airport just before midnight the same day.

Members of the GFS team in Sichuan have been reinforced and rotated back to Hong Kong over recent days, so that it can remain capable and effective in assisting the people affected by the disaster.

Two weeks on, the number of survivors being recovered rises day by day. As of the date of this article, the GFS rescue team has helped in bringing over 90 casualties to safety. GFS will continue its relief work in Sichuan.

In conclusion, it is worth quoting what was said by one of the crewmembers during an interview with the local press, "We have not thought of returning to HK at this moment. Our only concern now is how to save more people. It is our mission"

1st June 2008