Scotland

RAF winchman's bravery award after Ben Nevis rescue

A Royal Air Force search and rescue winchman has been awarded a Queen's Commendation for Bravery after carrying out a perilous rescue in the Scottish Highlands last winter.

Flight Sergeant Mark ‘Chunky’ Lean's Sea King Search and Rescue helicopter was diverted from training to an incident involving a party of five climbers on Ben Nevis at around 6pm on the 12th of December.

Arriving on scene with only 20 minutes of fuel remaining, a short but unsuccessful search was launched for one of the missing climbers who had fallen 1000 feet into Gulliver’s Chimney.

Working with the aircraft’s spotlight, the crew assessed that with 10 minutes of fuel remaining, they may just have enough time to rescue two other party members who were stranded on Tower Ridge before departing for fuel.

In darkness, with the conditions treacherous underfoot, FS Lean was lowered onto the snow covered knife-edge ridge where he found the two climbers precariously situated and in a state of shock.

Although extremely exposed, FS Lean elected to detach himself from the safety of the aircraft winch cable and use the climber’s belay - a rope tied between the two climbers, across the narrow ridge having first verbally confirmed with them that it was secure.

Picture: MOD, footage captured by winch operator MACr Paul Heyward.