A Spanish Army CH-47 Chinook recovered a damaged Guardia Civil EC-135 from a mountain ledge in the Gredos range in central Spain after the helicopter clipped a slope during a rescue mission. The aircraft was secured with slings and airlifted out in a joint operation involving Guardia Civil personnel and Spanish Army troops, with the recovery filmed and shared by the military.
The EC-135, operated by the Guardia Civil’s mountain rescue unit, landed on a narrow ledge near a small refuge used by climbers after its main rotor tips struck the mountain face. The terrain and remote location made ground extraction impractical, leaving heavy-lift recovery by air as the only workable option.
The Chinook came from the Spanish Army’s 5th Transport Helicopter Battalion in the Madrid region. No one was injured in the incident or during the recovery, and the extent of the helicopter’s damage was not disclosed.