On September 26, the Southern Vietnam Helicopter Company under the Vietnam Helicopter Corporation (Corps 18) received orders from higher authorities to evacuate two fishermen who were receiving emergency care at the medical station on Son Ca (Sand Cay) Island in Truong Sa (Spratly) Island District, Khanh Hoa Province, and transport them to the mainland for treatment.
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The flight crew receiving the patients on Son Ca Island |
The company swiftly developed a flight plan, identified the flight route, refueling methods, and approaching and landing, and coordinated closely with relevant forces. Technical, logistical, and communication preparations were made, while weather and meteorological conditions were carefully monitored.
At 4:00 p.m. on September 26, an EC-225 helicopter, numbered VN-8618, took off from Vung Tau Airport, flew to Tan Son Nhat Airport to pick up a medical team from Military Hospital 175, before heading to Son Ca Island to retrieve the patients.
The two patients, fishermen Nguyen Huu Thanh (born 1990), diagnosed with severe type 2 decompression sickness and sphincter dysfunction, and Le Van Lanh (born 1974), who by that time had suffered a left hemisphere stroke for 10 days, and experienced worsening conditions beyond the capabilities of the Son Ca Island medical station, in need of urgent transfer to the mainland for timely treatment.
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The helicopter landing at Military Hospital 175, transferring the patients to the emergency treatment area |
Despite the challenges of nighttime flying, complex weather conditions, long flight hours, and multiple takeoffs and landings, the mission was carried out successfully. The flight crew’s thorough preparation, precise coordination with relevant forces, and smooth teamwork ensured absolute safety, delivering the patients to the hospital in a timely manner.
Translated by Trung Thanh