ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 349840
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| Date: | Thursday 11 January 2024 |
| Time: | 19:00 |
| Type: |  Eurocopter AS 350B2 Ecureuil |
| Owner/operator: | Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) |
| Registration: | N204TX |
| MSN: | 3711 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2003 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Spofford, TX -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Aerial patrol |
| Departure airport: | Del Rio International Airport, TX (DRT/KDRT) |
| Del Rio International Airport, TX (DRT/KDRT) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities |
On January 11, 2024, at 1900 central standard time, a Eurocopter AS 350 B2, N204TX, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Spofford, Texas. The pilot and copilot received minor injuries. The helicopter was operated under public-use as an aerial observation flight.
During an aerial observation, the pilot decided to return to their base when he saw that the fuel gauge indicated 20% fuel remaining. The engine instruments did not indicate any anomalies. The pilot then felt a violent yaw to the right, saw the engine low pressure annunciator illuminate, and heard the low rotor horn. The copilot asked the pilot what happened, and the pilot said that they had lost an engine. The pilot transferred controls to the copilot after the rotor rpm returned to the normal operating range. The copilot then performed an autorotation and landed the helicopter in a brush covered field. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the tail boom and main rotors.
The helicopter was retained for further examination.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/texas-news/dps-helicopter-damaged-in-crash-in-south-texas/3432710/
https://news4sanantonio.com/news/local/texas-public-safety-police-helicopter-forced-to-land-during-border-patrol-police-operation-lonestar-dps-kinney-county-danger
https://www.breitbart.com/border/2024/01/11/exclusive-texas-dps-helicopter-crashes-while-tracking-migrants-near-border/
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/texas-department-public-safety-helicopter-crashes-mexican-border-106319898
NTSB
https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=N204TX
https://www.airport-data.com/images/aircraft/000/765/765316.jpg (photo)
Location
Media:
#BREAKING: A Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) helicopter deployed to the southern border as part of Gov. Greg Abbott's Operation Lone Star crashed late Thursday
— Anna Giaritelli (@Anna_Giaritelli) January 12, 2024
Pilot and copilot were the only crew on board and were mildly injured
Photos shared by law enforcement pic.twitter.com/qanaJixRk1
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 12-Jan-2024 13:32 | harro | Added |
| 12-Jan-2024 13:34 | harro | Updated [Other fatalities, Embed code] |
| 12-Jan-2024 17:34 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Total occupants, Location, Phase, Source, Embed code, Narrative, Category] |
| 12-Jan-2024 18:34 | Captain Adam | Updated [Location, Source, Narrative] |
| 13-Jan-2024 22:41 | RobertMB | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 29-Jan-2024 22:20 | Captain Adam | Updated [Time, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category, Accident report] |
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