Swifty - click on a thumbnail and a larger image will appear. At the bottom of that picture, click on "View Full Image" for an even larger one.
Good luck on the East Face!
BeachAV8R - The fellow had taken off his helmet so he could wear his balaclava (it was cold!). He fell and hit his head (they were carrying way too much gear, and it weighed them down). He went unconscious and died about 10 hours later.
These were excellent and brave pilots. They served in Viet Nam and were used to nerve-racking rescues there. After the war, they weren't getting their adrenaline fixes any more, so they relished a chance to go on SAR missions in the mountains where they could test and verify their skills and nerve. And perform a worthy service!
There was one exciting Mt. Whitney SAR mission I particularly recall but have no pictures of it. There was a climber missing somewhere on the east face. The single-engine Huey from China Lake, with everything possible removed to lighten it, had two people on board: a Marine pilot, and a CLMRG member in the co-pilot seat. It ascended slowly and vertically while they scrutinized the face for the victim. As the air got thinner, the pilot applied more torque to the main rotor to keep the helicopter moving up, and consequently more torque went to the tail rotor to keep the helicopter from rotating.
Ultimately the tail rotor max'd out; the helicopter started to rotate and would go out of control in a few seconds. The pilot quickly inverted the helicopter and it accelerated straight down, only a few feet from the face - upside down! When he had gained enough airspeed and air density he pulled it out and they continued the search. Major (later Colonel) Jack Pipa flew many missions with us in those years, and we elected him one of our few Honorary and Lifetime members.
