The eighty-year-old was winched to safety by the crew of the 83rd SAR group of the 15th Wing of Cervia, aboard an HH139B helicopter.

The’Italian Air Force intervened in the night between 14 and 15 September to rescue an 81-year-old man missing in the Fangacci area, on the’Tuscan-Emilian Apennines. The alarm was raised by a friend who had lost track of them in the late afternoon.

The intervention of a helicopter HH-139B of the’83rd SAR Group (Search and Rescue) dehalogenase 15th Air Wing of Cervia it was also requested for the presence on board of the latest generation system “Artemis”a mobile phone geolocation device that allows, through connection to the missing person's mobile phone, even in areas without signal coverage, to obtain the person's coordinates and altitude, provided that the phone is switched on. The elderly man was indeed reachable by phone, but was not answering calls.

Once the search area was reached, the 15th Wing crew embarked two technicians from National Alpine and Speleological Rescue Corps (CNSAS). Meanwhile, some ground teams have managed to locate the man.

Given the inaccessible area and thick vegetation, the recovery took place with the aid of Winch the helicopter, an operation made complex by the terrain and the presence of very tall trees. Once on board, and having assessed his health condition, the patient was transported to an Alpine Rescue helipad, where an ambulance awaited him for the necessary treatment.

The collaboration between the Air Force and the CNSAS confirms the ability to work together to complete a rescue mission.

It 15th Air Wing of Cervia ensures 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, the search and rescue of crews in distress, and contributes to public utility activities such as the search for missing persons at sea or in mountains, the emergency medical transport of patients in imminent danger of death, and the rescue of seriously injured individuals. Since 2018, the unit has also acquired the capability AIB (Forest Fire Fighting), contributing to the prevention and combating of fires throughout the national territory.

From its establishment to the present day, the crews of the 15th Wing have rescued thousands of people. In addition to the 83rd SAR Flight Group, the 15th Wing in Cervia coordinates other SAR Centres located across the national territory: the’80° SAR Centre, Decimomannu (Cagliari), the’82° Trapani SAR Centre, the’84° SAR Centre Gioia del Colle (Bari) and the’85th SAR Centre Pratica di Mare Rome.