An Alaska National Guard helicopter airlifted a snowmachiner with a badly broken leg out of the Hoodoo Mountains north of Paxson on Sunday evening, Alaska State Troopers said.
Troopers received a report at 4:16 p.m. that 32-year-old Tyrel Johnson, of Fairbanks, had flipped his machine riding "up a mountain face" and sustained a severely broken leg, according to an online dispatch posted late Sunday. The area near Summit Lake is a popular snowmachining area, especially with low snow cover across much of lower-elevation Southcentral.
The remote location and rugged terrain required helicopter rescue, troopers said. A Pave Hawk from the 176th Wing of the Air National Guard, launched from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, recovered Johnson and flew him to Providence Alaska Medical Center.
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Reach Zaz Hollander at zhollander@adn.com or 257-4317.
By ZAZ HOLLANDER