Nat. Guard Helicopter Crashes in Calif.

Wednesday, January 03, 2007

By ALLISON HOFFMAN, Associated Press Writer

SAN DIEGO — A National Guard helicopter carrying Border Patrol agents to search a remote mountain area for human smugglers crashed a few miles from the Mexico border, injuring the nine people aboard.

The five agents and four National Guard members were hospitalized, but none had life threatening injuring, officials said.

"To have a bird go down like this with nine people on board and not have anyone in intensive care is a huge relief," said James Jacques, a Border Patrol spokesman for the San Diego sector.

The UH-1, one of the older models used by the National Guard, crashed Tuesday afternoon about 20 miles southeast of downtown San Diego, said National Guard Master Sgt. Michael Drake.

It came to rest on its belly, its top rotor snapped off and what appeared to be its tail thrust to its side.

The UH-1 was on a mission for Operation Jumpstart, which stemmed from President Bush's plan to deploy up to 6,000 National Guard troops along the U.S.-Mexico border for about two years to help local and federal law enforcement stop illegal immigration.