YUMA, Ariz. — A small aircraft carrying three people made an emergency landing in western Arizona farmland after reporting engine trouble, and all three occupants were located and assisted in good health, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
CBP said the incident began when a Yuma Air Branch duty officer with Air and Marine Operations picked up radio traffic between the aircraft and the tower at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma. The pilot reported an engine issue, loss of power, and plans to set the plane down in the North Dome Valley area, the agency said.
According to CBP, the duty officer located the aircraft on the Air and Marine Operations Surveillance System and tracked its position from the situation and radio room. The MCAS Yuma tower lost radar contact with the plane at roughly 200 feet above ground level. The duty officer confirmed the last known position with the tower and alerted an AMO air crew that was refueling an AS350 helicopter at the Yuma Air Branch.
The AMO crew launched and located the downed aircraft. A Border Patrol agent assigned to the Yuma Sector Border Patrol Tactical Unit conducted a quick health check and assisted the three ambulatory occupants, who the agency said appeared to be in good health.
The AMO air crew then remained on scene, guiding responders from the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office and Tri-Valley Emergency Medical Services through a maze of canals, irrigation networks, and farm roads to the landing site, according to CBP. Once the scene was secured, the air crew returned to the Yuma Air Branch and reported the location and condition of the site back to the MCAS tower.
“Air and Marine Operations mission is to provide unwavering commitment to the preservation of life no matter the scenario,” Yuma Air Branch Deputy Director Brent Jason Smart said in a statement.
CBP said the Yuma Air Branch, part of the Southwest Region, patrols more than 125 miles of international border across California and Arizona and works with federal, state, and local partners on air and maritime enforcement missions.
Source: U.S. Customs and Border Protection
