Alaska Army Guard Executes Rare Black Hawk Landing on Train

A team of Alaska Army National Guard soldiers landed their HH-60M Black Hawk helicopter on a moving train in February during a cold-weather special operations medical practice. Highly skilled pilots put on a great show. The landing on a narrow flatbed car along the Chena River near Fairbanks was part of Special Operations Forces Arctic Medic 2025, a big drill with many different groups.

Col. Manuel Menendez is the general medic for Army Special Operations General North. He said, "The flight crew that landed on the train was not just good; they were amazing."

The helicopter had to do a "pinnacle landing," meaning only the deep-snow skis on the two front wheels hit the train. The tail part stayed up in the air. They kept the plane's power at full, which made it look like it was floating.

As soon as the plane landed, troops removed supplies while a critical care flight paramedic, Staff Sgt. Steven Gildersleeve, was hoisted onto the train to check on and evacuate a fake patient. Because it was an exercise, the train then began to move again.

Alaska Guard pilots Chief Warrant Officer 3 JD Miller and Chief Warrant Officer 2 David Berg led their team of Sgt. 1st Class Brad McKenzie, Staff Sgt. Michael Crane, and Gildersleeve through the move.

This risky landing was important for testing how hospital trains could move people who were chemically or biologically contaminated in the Arctic.

The National Guard, active-duty special operations teams, the Coast Guard, and federal police all participated in the drill. It showed how important it is to have safe ways for medical staff to leave dangerous areas.

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