More detail on this person: Roger Greenan, 67,
was KSTP-TV helicopter pilot famed for heroic
rescue Vietnam vet later became known for heroic
rescue in KSTP helicopter This information was last updated 05/18/2016
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Date posted on this site:
04/13/2025
Copyright © 1998 - 2025 Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association
By Tad Vezner
Updated: 07/29/2009 11:32:22 PM CDT
KSTP-TV helicopter pilot Roger Greenan is pictured
at St. Paul Downtown Airport in 1996. Greenan, of
Hudson, Wis., died of a heart attack Saturday. He
was 67. (Pioneer Press file photo)After being shot
down twice and crashing a third time as a
helicopter pilot in Vietnam, Roger Greenan came to
Minnesota for the quiet life.
He didn't get it. In 1979, he was shot down again,
when the helicopter he flew for KSTP-TV was struck
by a bullet and forced to land during an incident
at the Red Lake Indian Reservation.
Then, in the summer of 1991, he became famous: A
boat that drifted over St. Anthony Falls in
Minneapolis left several people stranded on the
Mississippi River, clinging to rocks, and Greenan
got a call.
A KSTP editor reached him at St. Paul Downtown
Airport, and within eight minutes, Greenan had
equipped his helicopter with a harness and was at
the scene _ refusing to bring a videographer with
him to avoid confusion. Within 28 minutes, he had
rescued four people _ including two members of the
Hennepin County sheriff's office and an Alcoholics
Anonymous member who'd been celebrating her
sobriety with an ill-fated cruise.
A Pioneer Press article stated "rescuers and
bystanders described him (Greenan) as a deus ex
machina, the Latin phrase that means 'God from the
machine,' a salvation appearing in the sky
seemingly out of nowhere."
Minneapolis Deputy Fire Chief David Norling noted
at the time that "the landing gear of that
helicopter had to be only a couple of feet from
the (last) victim in order to successfully
complete that rescue. He had to be under complete
control to perform the way he did. It was just
amazing."
The Discovery Channel aired a special on the
incident, highlighting Greenan, and the History
Channel recently interviewed Greenan for an
upcoming broadcast.
Greenan, who died Saturday at age 67 of a heart
attack at his home in Hudson, Wis., took a while
to seek the quiet life in Minnesota.
After Vietnam, where he logged 750 combat hours
flying an Army gunship, he worked as a helicopter
pilot for an oil exploration firm in Indonesia,
helped set up an offshore exploration oil well in
New Zealand and worked for several years as a
bush pilot and instructor in Alaska.
"He lived in eight countries on five continents,"
said his wife, Irene. The couple lived for several
years in Arizona, and Greenan commuted to
Minnesota to handle his business, EAC Helicopters
(later named North American Surveillance Systems)
in South St. Paul. Originally a helicopter
maintenance shop, the business expanded to
specialize in the installation of electronic
surveillance systems on helicopters throughout the
world. Greenan also performed such tasks as
mapping deer herds, surveying pipelines, and
finding and removing land mines.
As part of his contract business, Greenan began
flying for KSTP-TV in 1980 but stopped in the late
1990s after suffering a heart attack.
"We always felt safe with him. ... He's someone
that everyone in the family knows," said Rob
Hubbard, KSTP general manager. "He did a lot of
great work here, and he pioneered work with
helicopters and (newsgathering)."
During his spare time, the burly, bass-voiced
Greenan piloted an aerial camera crew for the
Prince movie "Purple Rain" and gave free charity
rides to special-needs children associated with
the Thursday's Child and Make-A-Wish foundations.
Born and raised in Old Town, Maine, Greenan
learned to fly in the Army during the Vietnam War.
His uncle, brother and cousin are also pilots, and
his father made the attempt but crashed a plane
during cadet training for World War II.
"His father and uncle were inspirations. There's
quite a few of us that made flying a career," said
brother Derek Antony Greenan, an airline pilot.
Roger Greenan's son, Scott Greenan, 33, also a
pilot, died in 2001 in a helicopter crash. The
cause was never determined. Greenan set up a
scholarship fund in his son's name at the
University of North Dakota's aviation school in
Grand Forks.
In addition to his wife and brother Derek Antony,
Greenan is survived by a daughter, Allison Marr;
brothers Tim and Sean Greenan; and three
grandchildren.
Services will be at 3 p.m. Saturday at Jehovah's
Witness Kingdom Hall, 485 Jacobs Lane, in
Hudson.