A Customs and Border Protection helicopter that crashed in San Diego last month, killing the pilot, was airborne for some 90 minutes before impact in Potrero, the National Transportation Safety Board said in a preliminary report released Tuesday.
The Dec. 16 crash killed Air Interdiction Agent Jeffrey Kanas, a 16-year CBP veteran of the agency’s Air and Marine Operations branch.
In the report, the NTSB detailed the helicopter’s flight path prior to the crash but offered no information on what caused the aircraft to end up in a field near Round Potrero Road.
The helicopter took off from Brown Field Municipal Airport in Otay Mesa on a “routine aerial support mission” around 8:56 a.m.
The NTSB reported weather conditions at the time to have been clear, with a visibility of around 8 miles, with winds at around 6 mph.
The helicopter flew uneventfully for more than an hour, rising and falling in altitude and occasionally changing headings.
At 10:29 a.m., however, the helicopter made two “S-turns” and swerving maneuvers, then descended from 4,200 feet to 3,100 feet.
A minute later, at 10:30 a.m., the emergency locator transmitter began to transmit. The report did not disclose if there was any radio traffic reporting an emergency before the crash.
“The helicopter came to rest on its left side in a field of dry brush…,” the NTSB said in its report.
Three of aircraft’s rotor blades “remained attached to the rotor hub and were fractured at various points,” the agency said.
The wreckage was taken for further investigation. A full investigation report will be released at a later time.
The agency described Kanas on X as “a man of integrity, selflessness, and unwavering loyalty to his family and friends.”