Flight History
On 8 July 2009, a roped party of five climbers ascended from the Monte Rosa hut to the Dufourspitze. Two turned back; the remaining three—two guests and a French mountain guide—reached the summit around 11:30. After a half-hour rest, they began descending. Shortly below the summit, one climber felt unwell and could not continue. The guide decided to request a helicopter rescue via emergency number 144 and found a rock pillar with a flat stone slab for the evacuation. He belayed himself and the sick climber to the same rope wrapped around the slab; the healthy climber was tied to the other end and belayed to rock.
At approximately 13:18, helicopter HB-XII, a Eurocopter SA315B Lama operated by Air Zermatt, departed with a pilot, rescue specialist, and paramedic. The rescue specialist was set down near the pillar, assessed the situation, and decided to evacuate the patient, himself, and two backpacks using three straps of the MERS. After detaching the patient from the rope, the rescue specialist had the guide tie the backpacks together and place them on the slab. The helicopter then landed nearby where the paramedic prepared the MERS.
The Rescue Operation
The pilot positioned the helicopter in a hover above the group. The rescue specialist attached the patient, himself, and the backpacks to the straps. The guide crouched on the pillar. The rescue specialist instructed the pilot to slowly lift. When the suspended persons were about 1–2 meters above ground, he said, "Good, you can go." The healthy climber on the ground noticed the rope linking him to the guide was also being lifted. He saw the guide stand up and try to release the rope, but the guide fell backwards off the pillar. The helicopter crew and suspended persons did not notice the rope lifting until the paramedic saw the rope tighten and drag the stone slab. The slab fell several meters into snow, the rope severed, and the guide fell several hundred meters down the mountainside, sustaining fatal injuries.
Personnel Information
The pilot, a flight instructor and deputy director of Air Zermatt, had 26 years with the operator. The rescue specialist had been a mountain guide since 1972 and head of the Zermatt rescue station since 1980. The mountain guide was registered since 1988 and considered very experienced on the Dufourspitze.
Rope Examination
The rope, examined forensically, was 34 meters long. The severance point was 13.7 meters from the guide's knot. The sheath was flattened and frayed; the core was severed at the other end of the deformed section. Additional abrasion and foreign material were present, but the exact cause of severance could not be determined.
Damage
The helicopter was not damaged. No other damage was reported.