Highest human-sling recovery

The highest helicopter long-line body recovery – known as a "human-sling" operation – took place on 29 April 2010 after a Spanish expedition to summit Annapurna in the Himalayas encountered difficulties and was unable to descend beyond camp four, located at an altitude of 6,950 m (22,801 ft). The Fishtail Air helicopter, piloted by Sabin Basnyat (Nepal) and Dani Aufdenblatten (Switzerland), recovered three ailing climbers and ferried them one by one back to base camp at 4,000 m (13,123 ft). The helicopter rescue service was a collaboration between Fishtail Air and Air Zermatt of Switzerland, and was the first such service to be made available on Mount Everest. The three airlifted climbers were Horia Colibasanu (Romania), Juanito Oiarzabal and Carlos Pauner (both Spain); a fourth climber, Tolo Calafat (Spain), died from hypokalemia, an extreme drop in potassium levels. Sadly, Sabin Basnyat died in a helicopter crash at Mount Ama Dablam on 7 November 2010.