KINNEY COUNTY, Texas — A Texas Department of Public Safety helicopter crashed near the border Thursday night after the crew experienced a “total loss of power.”
According to a statement from DPS Lt. Chris Olivarez on X, formerly Twitter, a team of a pilot and co-pilot in the helicopter were conducting a patrol flight using night vision goggles to patrol the border.
While flying in Kinney County, “the crew experienced a total loss of power, entered into an auto-rotative descent and made contact with the ground,” the statement said. They crashed in a rural area about 15 miles from the border.
The only injury reported Thursday night was a minor hand injury to the co-pilot, but the helicopter had “substantial damage.”
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration were notified, and the Texas Highway Patrol secured the area until its investigators could arrive at the scene.
The statement also said that the department will not be releasing any more details about the incident until the investigation by the NTSB is completed.
The helicopter was patrolling the border as a part of Operation Lone Star, which was launched by Gov. Greg Abbott in March 2021 and is a $10 billion joint operation between the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Military Department.