In late afternoon of Saturday, 20 October, a Mexican Navy helicopter crashed into the ocean while engaged in anti-poaching patrols over the vaquita refuge in the Upper Gulf of California (aka Sea of Cortez). 11 of the 12 helicopter crew were rescued, with two seriously injured and one missing.
The MI-17 helicopter was in the middle of a patrol, ensuring the marine protected area in the Upper Gulf of California was free from illegal activities, when it apparently lost control and crashed into the sea. Fishermen in the area reported the incident to authorities using mobile phones and sped to the scene in pangas (small fishing skiffs) with the Mexican Navy soon on the scene.
Sea Shepherd’s vessel ‘Farley Mowat’ was dockside in San Felipe Harbor at the time of the incident and hurried to join the search and rescue mission, after offering assistance to the Head of the Navy in the region.
By the time we arrived at the remote location it was already dark and the search and rescue team from the Navy and some fishermen were in the area looking for the missing flight crew and helicopter wreckage. We used our sonar to visualize the wreck and determine an exact position, which was relayed to the Navy straight away. We used the same equipment used to detect sunken illegal fishing gear poachers use to catch the totoaba fish,
…said Sea Shepherd Campaign Leader JP Geoffroy.
At 1:30 am on 21 October, Navy divers were sent down to confirm the location pinpointed by the sonar. Due to strong currents, it was not possible for the divers to find anything. The search and rescue team had to wait for daylight the next morning to perform another attempt.
In the morning, the Navy divers confirmed the helicopter wreckage at 8.7 meters depth as recorded by the Sea Shepherd sonar the night before.
The search and rescue operation the M/V Farley Mowat was engaged in, along with the Mexican Navy, successfully located the downed helicopter in the early hours of the morning of the 22nd of October. The combined efforts of all personnel, of both the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and the Mexican Navy, in addition to the use of Farley Mowat’s onboard sonar detection systems, allowed us to pinpoint precisely the position of the downed aircraft, to enable navy divers to locate and investigate the aircraft wreck, in very bad visibility condition and strong currents. Unfortunately, the missing person was not located in the aircraft.
…said the Captain of the M/V Farley Mowat, Robert Peel.
The cause of the crash is under investigation by the Navy.
The Mexican Navy is present in the Upper Gulf of California and patrols the area protecting the vaquita porpoise – the most endangered marine mammal in the world.
