RMRG expanded to over 90 members in the 1970's. The year 1970 saw one of the largest cable missions, with 4800 ft. of cable being used off Trail Ridge Rd. in Rocky Mountain National Park. In October 1970, RMRG assisted with the response to the tragic Wichita State football team plane crash (NTSB Report) near Loveland Pass. The crash killed 30, but 10 survivors were able to walk under their own power. In 1974 we began to use Emergency Locator Transmitters (ELTs) to locate downed aircraft. In December 1978 RMRG ELT searchers found the snow-bound site of the Rocky Mountain Airways Flight 217 crash NTSB Report near Buffalo Pass, finding 20 survivors. An epic rescue ensued with considerable media attention. Thanksgiving 1974 saw a dramatic rescue in blizzard conditions of two stranded hikers collapsed in the snow below Pawnee Pass. RMRG evacuated a heat stroke victim off the roof of Liquor Mart in 1978.
1971 - Search for Kevin Dye near Casper Wyoming
In July of 1971, a 9-year-old boy wandered away from a picnic on Casper Mountain central Wyoming. Searchers spotted Kevin four times, but then saw him run away. After 11 days of searching, the boy was found by an RMRG member on a grassy knoll that had already been searched twice. The story made headlines across the country.