A U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) pilot was killed in a helicopter crash on Monday near the U.S.–Mexico border in San Diego County, according to the CBP.
The Federal Aviation Administration told NTD in an emailed statement that a Eurocopter AS350-B3 helicopter crashed near Potrero, east of San Diego, just after 10 a.m. on Dec. 16, killing the pilot.
The helicopter was a U.S. CBP Air and Marine Operations aircraft on a border security mission when the aviation mishap took place, according to an emailed statement to NTD from a CBP spokesperson.
The CBP air interdiction agent, who was the pilot and sole occupant of the aircraft, was pronounced dead at the scene, the CBP said.
“Air Interdiction Agents pilot airplanes, helicopters, and unmanned aircraft systems to interdict inbound threats to the U.S. and investigate dangerous criminal networks,” the agency states on its website.
In a post on Facebook on Wednesday, CBP Air and Marine Operations revealed the pilot’s identity to be that of Agent Jeffrey Kanas.
“It is with a heavy heart that we announce the loss of Air Interdiction Agent Jeffrey Kanas, who tragically lost his life in the line of duty on Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. Our thoughts and prayers are with his loved ones during this incredibly difficult time,” CBP Air and Marine Operations wrote.
In a separate Instagram post, the CBP said that Kanas had joined the agency in 2008 as an air interdiction agent.
The House Homeland GOP’s official X account paid tribute to the pilot in a post on Dec. 17.
“We are saddened by the news of last night’s helicopter crash resulting in the death of a brave CBP Air and Marine Operations agent. Our thoughts and prayers are with the agent’s loved ones,” the security committee’s Republican members wrote.
The National Transportation Safety Board is in charge of the investigation and will provide further updates, the FAA said.
California Helicopter Crashes
Monday’s incident was the second time a helicopter crashed near San Diego this year. On Feb. 6, five U.S. Marines were conducting a routine training exercise and flying a Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter from Creech Air Force Base in Clark County, Nevada, to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, California, when the aircraft was reported overdue, according to a February statement from the Marine Corps.
The helicopter was located the next morning by civil authorities in Pine Valley, California. The remains of the two crew members and three pilots were found in a search and rescue effort carried out by the Marines and multiple federal, state, and local agencies.