Helicopter rescued stuck front loader in Yellowstone
After the flood in Yellowstone National Park had to clean up. A front loader got stuck on one of the washed out roads near Gardiner, Montana. It required the help of the Montana National Guard to transport it. The Guard responded with a CH-47 Chinook helicopter.
The helicopter and its crew are part of the 1-189th General Support Aviation Battalion of the Montana National Guard.
Normally a front-end loader would be transported overland, such as through A-1 Heavy Equipment Shipping, but this situation required the help of the National Guard and a helicopter.
MSgt. Michael Touchette (public affairs officer for the Montana National Guard) says the Park Service called security on Aug. 17. Most of the equipment stuck “on the asphalt island” like MSgt. Touchette described an area in the northern part of the park that was devastated by the June high water.
The only problem was the heavy weight of the front loader, so that the helicopter could not lift the machine. The park service offered to remove the bucket and tires, the crew of the helicopter agreed. “The bucket and tires weigh about 5,000 pounds,” MSgt said. Tashet. After some delays in removing the tires and bucket, the helicopter crew lifted some of the equipment. In general, the operation took about 10 minutes.
