NATIONAL GUARD HELICOPTER ON BORDER PATROL MISSION CRASHES

National Guard helicopter crashes near San Diego,
nine injured

By: ALLISON HOFFMAN - Associated Press

SAN DIEGO -- A group of Border Patrol agents and members of the California National Guard escaped serious injury Tuesday when a helicopter carrying them crashed near the U.S.-Mexico border during a mission to curb human smuggling.

Five Border Patrol agents and four Guard members were aboard the UH-1 helicopter when it went down about 3:40 p.m. in the Otay Mountain area about 20 miles southeast of downtown San Diego and a few miles north of the international border.

"To have a bird go down like this with nine people on board and not have anyone in intensive care is a huge relief," said James Jacques, a Border Patrol spokesman for the San Diego sector.

The aircraft came to rest on its belly, its top rotor snapped off and what appeared to be its tail thrust to its side. All nine people aboard were taken to hospitals, but none of their injuries were considered life-threatening.

The helicopter, one of the older models used by the Guard, left Naval Air Station North Island shortly after 3 p.m. and picked up the Border Patrol Agents at Brown Field, just north of the border, Master Sgt. Michael Drake said.

The UH-1 was on a mission for Operation Jumpstart, transporting Border Patrol agents to mountainous areas inaccessible by vehicle -- routes often used by human smugglers.

The crash was the first since operations began in California in July, National Guard Capt. Mike Morgan said. At least 100 such missions have been conducted and are "relatively safe" with weather usually being the major concern, Morgan said.

The National Weather Service said skies were clear and winds were light, between 6-7 mph, although a wind advisory was called for the area's mountains mid-Tuesday.

Authorities declined to discuss a possible cause of the crash. Capt. Brennan Blue of the California Department of Forestry, which provided medical response, said there were power lines down near the crash site, "but it's undetermined whether they went down before the crash or after."

Guard officials declined to comment on the pilot's training and expertise in flying such missions. Details of the helicopter's maintenance record were not released. The Guard said the helicopter was one of two used during such missions.

Operation Jumpstart stems from a plan announced in May 2006 by President Bush to deploy up to 6,000 National Guard troops along the U.S.-Mexico border for about two years to help local and federal law enforcement to stop illegal immigration.

About 1,400 Guard members are patrolling the California-Mexico border.

Spc. Kirsten Fike, 36, of Warren, Pa., died Aug. 10 after collapsing from heatstroke in Yuma, Ariz., while she watched for illegal immigrants. Her Army National Guard unit was part of Operation Jumpstart.

-- Associated Press Writers Aaron C. Davis in Sacramento and Greg Risling in Los Angeles contributed to this report

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/01 ... 1_2_07.txt

SAN DIEGO UNION TRIBUNE

Nine injured in National Guard copter crash near Mexican border

By Steve Liewer and Pauline Repard
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITERS

5:36 p.m. January 2, 2007

SignOnSanDiego

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/m...0102copter.jpg

Rescue personnel attend to victims at the Otay Mountain crash site of a California National Guard UH-1 Huey helicopter.
OTAY MESA – A California National Guard helicopter crashed on Otay Mountain this afternoon, injuring all nine National Guardsmen and U.S. Border Patrol agents aboard, authorities said.
The UH-1 Huey transport was on a reconaissance flight when it went down east of San Diego, said Master Sgt. Michael Drake, a National Guard spokesman.

The aircraft crashed near Otay Mountain Truck Trail and Interstate 94. It landed on its belly with its main rotor snapped off and its tail snapped off to one side.

A Sheriff's Department spokesman said his office received a call from the Border Patrol for assistance about 3:45 p.m. Helicopters from the Sheriff's Department, Mercy Air, San Diego police and the Border Patrol ferried the nine injured to hospitals.

Three of the injured were National Guard crew members, Drake said.

Sheriff's Lt. Dave Myers said injuries were described as moderate to major.

He said the flight was part of Operation Jumpstart, an initiative that President Bush launched last summer to use National Guard troops to bolster border security.

There have been at least 100 such missions since the operation began in July, said National Guard Capt. Mike Morgan.

The flights operate out of Brown Field in San Diego or the Navy base at Coronado in San Diego Bay.

Morgan said the missions are “relatively safe,” with weather usually being the major concern.

A National Guard accident investigation team was en route to the site.

The Huey first flew in 1959 and was the mainstay of the U.S. Army transport fleet during the Vietnam War. About 9,000 were built, the last in 1976, according to the military web site Globalsecurity.org. Fewer than 150 of the helicopters were still in use in September 2004.

This is a miracle!

To have to harm Americans because of these ILLEGALs is heartbreaking.

.

http://www.minihelicopter.net/UH1Huey/UH-1%20Huey.jpg

Technical data is for UH-1C.

Nation: USA
Manufacturer: Bell Helicopter Co.
Type: Utility Helicopter
Year: 1960
Engine: Textron Lycoming T-53-L-11 Turboshaft, 1100 shp
Rotor Diameter: 44 ft
Fuselage Length: 45 ft 10 in
Overall Length: 57 ft 3 in
Height: 14 ft
Empty Weight: 5,549 lb
Max Takeoff Weight: 10,500 lb
Max Speed: 129 kts
Ceiling: 11,500 ft in horizontal flight, 10,500 in hover
Range: 332 nautical miles
Crew: 2 pilots
Load/Armament: 7 fully equipped troops or 3,000 lb

So, mexicans are celebrating this ...
just like the Iranians celebrated the helicopter crash in the failed rescue attempt during the Carter :evil: administration.

Skip will you be following this? I would very much like to know the cause of the crash and the condition of those injured.

thanks

Quote:

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Originally Posted by xanadu

Skip will you be following this? I would very much like to know the cause of the crash and the condition of those injured.

thanks

---

Of Course,

R/ Skip

Troops, agents on border mission

By Steve Liewer
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
January 3, 2007

A California National Guard helicopter crashed near Otay Mountain yesterday afternoon, injuring nine National Guardsmen and U.S. Border Patrol agents.

The UH-1 Huey transport had taken off from North Island Naval Air Station and was on a routine flight carrying a team of Border Patrol agents when it went down east of Lower Otay Reservoir at 3:50 p.m., said Maj. Ken Witt, a National Guard spokesman. The helicopter landed on its belly with its main rotor broken and its tail snapped off to one side near Otay Lakes Road and the Minnewanna Truck Trail.

Helicopters from the Sheriff's Department, Mercy Air, San Diego police and Border Patrol ferried the injured to hospitals. Sheriff's Lt. Dave Myers described the injuries as “moderate to major,” though Witt said none were life-threatening. At least two of the injured walked away from the crash site, National Guard Master Sgt. Michael Drake said, and four were released from the hospital last night.

Four victims were National Guard crew members and five were Border Patrol agents, Witt said. The flight was part of Operation Jumpstart, President Bush's May 2006 initiative to use 6,000 National Guard troops to bolster security and reduce the flow of illegal immigrants across the U.S.-Mexico border.

The helicopter left North Island at 3 p.m. and landed at Brown Field 15 minutes later to pick up a team of five Border Patrol agents for a mission near Otay Mountain, Drake said. The team was part of Joint Task Force Vista.

Hueys first flew in 1959 and were the mainstay of the U.S. Army transport fleet during the Vietnam War. About 9,000 were built, the last in 1976, according to GlobalSecurity.org. In September 2004, fewer than 150 were still flying, an Army News release said.

The names, ranks and units of the injured were not released.

Authorities wouldn't speculate on the cause of the crash, but a military investigative team was traveling to the site.

Capt. Brennan Blue of the California Department of Forestry, which provided medical response, said power lines were down near the crash site, “but it's undetermined whether they went down before the crash or after.”

Otay Mountain has been the site of numerous aircraft crashes over the years.

In April 2005, a pilot in his 70s was critically injured when a home-built, single-engine plane crashed there.

In October 2004, five people died when their Learjet 35A medical air ambulance flew into the southwest face of the mountain. Mistakes made by the flight crew and an air traffic controller caused the accident, the National Transportation Safety Board concluded.

Nearly 16 years ago, seven members of country singer Reba McEntire's band were among 10 people killed when their twin-engine Hawker Siddeley aircraft crashed in the area.

California Nat'l Guard helicopters on border grounded after crash

By ALLISON HOFFMAN,01/04/07 01:52:31

The regular buzz of helicopter rotors was absent from remote canyon areas along the U.S.-Mexico border as California National Guard choppers deployed to support border enforcement remained grounded following a crash that injured nine.

A team from the U.S. Army Aviation Center at Fort Rucker, Ala., was set to arrive in San Diego on Thursday to begin a federal investigation into the cause of Tuesday's accident in the mountains east of San Diego.

Officials have not commented on the cause of the crash of the 1973 UH-1 Huey transport helicopter, which went down while transporting a Border Patrol team to inaccessible areas for operations against human smugglers.

Two National Guard soldiers and three Border Patrol agents remained hospitalized with neck and back injuries, said Col. Kevin Ellsworth, commander of the joint mission along the California border. In all there were five agents and four Guard members aboard.

Officials grounded the six remaining helicopters on border duty, including one Huey and five OH-58 observation craft. The Guard's six other Hueys elsewhere in the state remain operational.

"Any time there's an accident there's a safety stand-down," Ellsworth said. Any decision to put the helicopters back in the air will come from state investigators, he added.

The crash occurred about 3:40 p.m. on Otay Mountain about 20 miles southeast of downtown San Diego and a few miles north of the international border. The craft, which had picked up the agents at Brown Field, came to rest on its belly, its main rotor snapped off and tail broken.

Col. Mitchell Medigovich, an aviation expert who is leading the California National Guard's investigation, said the helicopter was one of six Vietnam-era Hueys still flown by the state Guard.

"We don't want to speculate that the cause of the accident was anything to do with the age of these helicopters," Medigovich said, noting that the helicopter had undergone regular maintenance.

Medigovich said the UH-1 pilot and co-pilot were both experienced fliers with years of experience.

Ellsworth said all crew members credited the pilots with bringing the helicopter down as gently as possible in rough terrain.

"The wreckage looks pretty bad," Ellsworth said. "It could have been devastating, and all the people aboard survived."

Officials would not release any details of the names, ages or ranks of those aboard, citing privacy concerns.

http://www.fresnobee.com/384/story/22221.html

Quote:

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Ellsworth said all crew members credited the pilots with bringing the helicopter down as gently as possible in rough terrain.

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Then the blades were still in tact.

Army probing copter crash; border-patrolling fleet halted

VIDEO

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/stat ... heli.html#



By Tanya Sierra
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
January 4, 2007

NATIONAL CITY – Six helicopters used in the Operation Jumpstart border-patrol project will remain grounded for at least one week while officials investigate Tuesday's California National Guard helicopter crash near Otay Mountain.

A stand down is routine during such probes, but this one could last longer depending on the findings of a team of Army investigators arriving from Alabama today, National Guard spokesman Capt. Michael Morgan said during a news conference in National City.

Four National Guard crew members and five U.S. Border Patrol agents were injured when their UH-1 Huey transport went down east of Lower Otay Reservoir at 3:45 p.m. The helicopter landed on its belly, its main rotor broken and its tail snapped off.

“The wreckage looks pretty bad,” Col. Kevin Ellsworth said.

Five victims remained hospitalized and were expected to be released soon, Ellsworth said.

No clues were given as to what caused the crash. Ellsworth said the pilot was highly experienced, with more than 1,000 flying hours on record. He added that the 30-year-old aircraft was maintained properly.

“Nothing leads us to believe that there is a problem with the helicopter type,” Ellsworth said.

Power lines in the area were reported down about 10 minutes after the Huey crashed, according to outage information on San Diego Gas & Electric Co.'s Web site.

Power for 17 customers in six communities from East County to Otay Mesa will be out while the military conducts its on-the-scene investigations, said Ed Van Herick, a spokesman for SDG&E.

“We're telling them to get fuel for their generators,” Van Herick said. “We're talking to each one of them individually.”

The flight was an Operation Jumpstart mission, which is part of President Bush's May 2006 initiative to use 6,000 National Guard troops to reinforce security and reduce illegal immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Border Patrol authorities would not give details on Operation Jumpstart's flight missions, but said they will ultimately continue.

“We've conducted over 300 missions in three months,” border agent Mike Fischer said. “The (illegal immigration) threat is real.”

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/stat ... 4heli.html

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Tanya Sierra: (619) 498-6631; tanya.sierra@uniontrib.com

These guys are doing something honorable and they should have never been placed in this position to begin with.