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It's march 19th, 2003. rescuers have been trying for more than an hour to save a man from falling nearly 180 feet over the edge of niagara falls to his death. from the air rescuers are attempting to toss him a life ring. but suddenly the man slips, and they fear they've lost him for good. >> when he first fell, he grabbed onto the rocks. and then within a few seconds, he slid back probably another two or three feet. and at that point, his legs actually went over the brink. >> but against all odds, the man is able to pull himself up on a rock. >> and then there's just jubilation.ç he stands u...

>> fortunately plan "b" "arrive from the air. captain kevin caffery hovers above, trying to get a rescue basket close enough for the man to grab. >> we made four or five attempts to get him with the rescue basket. we got pretty close to him. the problem is with the treacherous air current, it was almost impossible to control the aircraft. >> at some point he said, i'm running out of power. we're not going to be able to do this. >> another failed attempt. the chopper returns to land. so the team can come up with plan "c." in the water, carella and moriarty know time is not on their side. >> at ...

>> as carella and moriarty watch their peers pull the guy to shore, the feeling of relief is short-lived. if standing feet from the edge of niagara falls isn't dangerous enough, almost unbelievably the stakes are about to go up even the man slips under that menacing ice shelf, the very thing moriarty feared most. >> upon being dragged underneath the ice floe, the danger level increased 100%. he now is on a rope that is unable to be pulled back because he goes underneath the ice. he's also being dragged by a current that is unbelievable because now it's pressurized. it's formed underneath the i...

Tossing is repeatedly washed back to them by the strong currents. but co-pilot art litsinger suggests they get the life ring to the victim from the air. >> we'd have to get fairly close and actually try to toss this ring out to somewhere where he could get a hold of it. >> i knew our biggest problem was the rotor wash from the aircraft itself, the wind speed. and i was afraid we were going to knock him over. >> but they're willing to give it a shot. >> we're probably only about a foot or two off the water. we tried to get in close. i was trying to get our side of the aircraft in close to him s...

Footing, we'll end up under the ice under the water, and that was the last thing i wanted to have happen. >> moriarty can't know it yet, but he would soon face his greatest fear. but for now, they inch out into the raging waters, hoping to get the man a life ring.ç onshore, a rescue worker finds a suicide note from the man now fighting fiercely for his life. but carella and moriarty know nothing about the note, and they're able to make contact with the victim. >> we wanted to reassure him. make him -- tell him that we're coming to get you. we're here for you. >> he was able to yell loud enou...