Bagging Bowe Bergdahl - A Crash-Landing Helo Rescue with Night Stalker Alan C. Mack | Mike Drop #187

About this video

Alan C. Mack, a Night Stalker helicopter pilot, recounts a high-risk mission to rescue Bowe Bergdahl. Mack describes how he had to intentionally crash-land his helicopter on a steep hillside next to the target building after imagery analysts deemed the original landing zone impossible. Though the landing succeeded and SEALs reached the door within feet of where Mack placed them, Bergdahl had already been moved to Pakistan.

Key takeaways

• Mack explains he executed a controlled crash landing inspired by the Vietnam-era Operation Sante after being told the planned landing zone was too steep and dusty to land safely
• Mack recounts placing the SEALs 40 feet from the target door in a dust cloud on a slope, with his rotor blades 10 feet from the building, but Bergdahl had already been moved
• Mack argues the mission demonstrated key Special Operations qualities: advanced training and experience, clear communication of mission-critical needs, outside-the-box problem solving, and calculated risk-taking for an American service member

Episode details: published May 14, 2024 · 12.7K views · 8:33 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Stories told by Mike Ritland’s podcast guests are the guests’ own accounts, attributed to them — not independently verified. Commentary is Ritland’s, presented as his analysis.

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