In a recent tragedy, two mountanier died at Mount Ararat. 9 members of 11 strong Italian mountaineering team were rescued earlier but the two remaining members couldn't find before. After the initial report at 11:45am, Turkish Army SAR helicopter (S70) started the search operation at 12:00pm. Shortly after that, the helicopter found the body of one mountanier and lifted him at 5050m (15,600 feet). The second missing person's body was also found but due to severe weather conditions couldn't be lifted. When the weather permitted at 17:27, the SAR helicopter returned back to the location and lifted the body at 5075m. (15,750 feet).

Earlier, a Turkish S70 rescued the mountanieers at high altitude of 11,000 feet and cited by Sikorsky, however, the record for the highest attitude rescue belonged to a Cougar S32 team which rescued American Mountanier John Thomas McIntosh at 14,000 feet at Mount Ararat. The latest operation represents the highest altitude achieved by Turkish SAR teams so far at 5075 m (15,750 feet), just 90 meters below the top of the Mount Ararat, the highest point in Turkey.

Click on the picture below for high resolution image (I think this is from one of the earlier operations).


Credits go to Warrior at Turkish S&S Forum for finding the press release.
http://www.tsk.mil.tr/haberler_olaylar/tsk.../2006/akf01.htm

interesting, I thought the Cougars had horrible high altitude performance.

in 2000 february ýskender ýgdýr ( Akut member)was dead at mouth arart and a black hawk helicopter took his body from a canyon which was at 14 000 feet . at winter .

it was one of the most hardest rescue . 14 000 feet and in side a valey vith 3 ends closed at winter conditions.

I heard that many times from turkish forumers in the past too.

cougars cant fly .

some pilots say here who buy this inspite of black hawks are traitors.

realy very big diffrence.