HOULTON, Maine — Residents near Houlton’s International Airport were startled Friday evening when a Customs and Border Protection helicopter had to make an emergency landing shortly after takeoff.
Michelle Benson-Fuller, Customs and Border Protection public affairs specialist, said Monday that an Office of Air and Marine AS-350 helicopter had to make an emergency landing at the Houlton International Airport around 8:40 p.m. The two air interdiction agents on board were not injured during the emergency landing.
“OAM (Office of Air and Marine) is assembling an accident investigation team, which will be enroute to the site of the landing Wednesday,” Benson-Fuller said Tuesday.
No additional information on the emergency landing was available by presstime Tuesday.
Several individuals reported on the social media site “Facebook” that they heard a loud boom similar to the sound of a tractor-trailer truck’s jake brakes engaging somewhere in the vicinity of the airport.
According to Houlton Fire Chief Milton Cone, firefighters were called to the south end of the runway at Houlton International Airport for a report of a helicopter on fire. Initially, the department’s fire and rescue unit was dispatched, but later called off, Cone said.
“Upon our arrival, we saw flames coming from the engine compartment,” the chief said. “We used our fire extinguishers and a minimal amount of water. The fire was contained to the engine compartment.”
Houlton Ambulance was also sent to the scene and evaluated the two pilots. Neither needed treatment, Cone said.
