A U.S. Customs and Border Protection helicopter crashed on Monday near Potrero, California, an area in the far southeastern reaches of San Diego County close to the U.S.-Mexico border, killing the pilot, according to CBP.
The CBP Air and Marine Operations aircraft crashed during a border security mission north of state Route 94 and two miles south of Barrett Lake around 10 a.m., according to a CBP spokesperson.
One CBP Air Interdiction Agent, who was the pilot and sole person aboard the aircraft, was killed in the crash, CBP said.
NBC San Diego's SkyRanger7 flew over the scene shortly after the crash, which showed the wreckage in the middle of an open field at Sol Valley Ranch, a hemp farm.
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Late Monday afternoon, dozens of border patrol agents lined the procession route.
Robert Katz, a commercial pilot who has been flying more than 40 years, told NBC San Diego over the phone that FlightAware's flight tracker showed this helicopter taking off from Brown Field, about 20 miles west, around 9 a.m.
The helicopter is a Eurocopter AS350 B3 from a company called Granite Coast Mapping. That company has an address in Coronado but not much more is known about the company.
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Katz said the flight track shows the pilot flying erratically before crashing, but the track log doesn't suggest anything was wrong with the helicopter itself. He says it was flying very low to the ground to begin with and with clear viewing conditions.
The Air and Marine Operations is a separate component of CBP, a spokesperson with the agency clarified to NBC San Diego.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash, the agency posted on X on Monday afternoon.
NTSB investigating Monday's crash of an American Eurocopter AS350-B3 helicopter near Potrero, California.
— NTSB Newsroom (@NTSB_Newsroom) December 16, 2024
