Officer

California Highway Patrol

7/5/1984

Special Act Award (Gold)

At approximately 11:30 a.m., a Sacramento based CHP helicopter with Officer Randall Byerly onboard as an observer, was summoned to Mono County by sheriff’s deputies after a man hiked to Bridgeport and said his friend had fallen on a rock and was injured. The helicopter stopped over at Bridgeport before flying on to Peeler lake, which is located in rugged terrain northeast of Yosemite National Park. The helicopter started to take off after picking up the victim, but then lost power and crashed into the lake. When the helicopter crashed, Officer Byerly escaped the downed aircraft through a broken windshield. After he escaped the helicopter overturned and he climbed aboard the craft’s belly, The helicopter pilot popped to the surface and began calling for help. Officer Byerly plunged back into the icy water and swam to the pilot, who had a broken back, and helped him swim the 200 feet to shore. The helicopter sank as the two officers were swimming away from it. Unfortunately, the victim did not survive the crash.