U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations (AMO) helicopter crews assisted in the rescue of an injured hiker in Franklin Mountains State Park on August 21. The operation began when the CBP AMO El Paso Air Branch Operations Officer received a request from El Paso County Combined Search and Rescue (COMSAR) for help with the search and rescue mission.
Because of challenging terrain and high altitude, a hoist-capable UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter was deployed. The crew used night vision goggles to locate the injured individual during nighttime hours. Working with COMSAR, they found the hiker in a remote area. The helicopter maintained a hover at 180 feet while a hoist rescue specialist was lowered to assist.
After six iterations using the hoist system, the specialist rescued the hiker and brought five COMSAR personnel into the aircraft. The crew then transported everyone to an incident command post where additional COMSAR members were waiting. El Paso Fire and Rescue later took the injured hiker to a local hospital for further care.
El Paso Air Branch Director Efren Gonzalez stated, “Our CBP AMO El Paso Air Branch crews regularly train with our El Paso COMSAR partners to conduct hoist rescues and medical evacuations. We train together regularly and together we provide an important lifesaving capability as AMO helicopter crews conduct their national security mission to patrol the deserts and mountains in our border region.”
Air and Marine Operations is part of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, conducting its work in air and maritime environments across areas including Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, and throughout the United States.
CBP describes itself as America’s frontline agency with more than 65,000 personnel working across land, air, and sea domains to enforce lawful travel, trade regulations, protect economic interests, and support national security through innovation, intelligence sharing, collaboration, and trust-building efforts.
Video footage of this rescue operation is available on social media platforms such as X at https://x.com/cbpamo/status/1958982628536619478?s=46&t=VQ_kiRMdZQkVheOQDzJwKw as well as Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/reel/DNq3i8gp8Bg/?igsh=MTJ4NXR6cnZrenVhdQ==.
