Plane Carrying U.S., Mexico Border Officials Missing

[CAPPAO]

I wonder why CAP wasn't called in for this search, or are we only good for tracking down malfunctioning ELTs?


FOXNEWS.COM HOME > U.S.
       
Plane Carrying U.S., Mexico Border Officials Missing
Monday, September 15, 2008

MARFA, Texas —  A plane carrying the U.S. and Mexican heads of the International Water and Boundary Commission disappeared Monday while touring floods along the Rio Grande.

Commissioners Carlos Marin, of the U.S. section, and Arturo Herrera, from Mexico, were flying to Presidio, Texas, from El Paso but the plane did not land as scheduled, Presidio County Judge Jerry Agen said. The plane carried the pilot and one other passenger, he said.

The chartered Cessna 421 propeller plane left about 10 a.m. and was to fly over a reservoir in Mexico so the men could see a dam where water is being released to ease flooding, said Sally Spener, a spokeswoman for the IBWC in El Paso.

Agen said searchers were looking in a rough, mountainous section of desert about 60 miles west of Presidio. "It's a rough area out there, with very few roads," Agen said.

Spener said the Federal Aviation Administration, the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Border Patrol were involved in the search, though she could not confirm the search area.

Marin and Herrera head the international agency responsible for maintaining the border between the U.S. and Mexico. Each man's office inspects and maintains river levees along the Rio Grande.

[Flying Pig]

I wonder why CAP wasn't called in for this search, or are we only good for tracking down malfunctioning ELTs?


FOXNEWS.COM HOME > U.S.
       
Plane Carrying U.S., Mexico Border Officials Missing
Monday, September 15, 2008

MARFA, Texas —  A plane carrying the U.S. and Mexican heads of the International Water and Boundary Commission disappeared Monday while touring floods along the Rio Grande.

Commissioners Carlos Marin, of the U.S. section, and Arturo Herrera, from Mexico, were flying to Presidio, Texas, from El Paso but the plane did not land as scheduled, Presidio County Judge Jerry Agen said. The plane carried the pilot and one other passenger, he said.

The chartered Cessna 421 propeller plane left about 10 a.m. and was to fly over a reservoir in Mexico so the men could see a dam where water is being released to ease flooding, said Sally Spener, a spokeswoman for the IBWC in El Paso.

Agen said searchers were looking in a rough, mountainous section of desert about 60 miles west of Presidio. "It's a rough area out there, with very few roads," Agen said.

Spener said the Federal Aviation Administration, the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Border Patrol were involved in the search, though she could not confirm the search area.

Marin and Herrera head the international agency responsible for maintaining the border between the U.S. and Mexico. Each man's office inspects and maintains river levees along the Rio Grande.

There's your answer.  CBP has plenty of airplanes and helicopters and BORSTAR looking, not to mention USAF SAR.  Believe it or not, there are agencies out there who can manage without calling CAP.

This cant be good.  A chartered plane full of government officials missing on a rather simple flight? 

[citizensoldier]

I will be interested to hear what happened to the plane.  This just sounds odd to me.

[Major Carrales]

The answer is that all Texas Wing CAP has been active and occupied with the IKE Storm Recovery.  Likely,also, the International nature of this mission precludes CAP direct operations, at least initially. 

The Federal Aviation Administration, the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Border Patrol are instruments of the Federal Government proper and thus are arms of the USA to which the State Department is in touch with the Diplomatic ministries of other nations, like Mexico.

I can tell you that our Archer Crews have been scanning the gulf and other areas for chemical leaks and Wing Aviation assets have bene launching from San Atonio and are now deployed to the forward areas in West Houston.  I know this because I was the Mission Radio Operator that was dispatching them to their sorties.

Just wait, if we are needed, we'll be called.  Likely you can expect New Mexico Wing or South West Region to repond to that call unitl Texas Wing Assest are completed with their missions.

[_]

Take a look at WMIRS

[CAPPAO]

Yeah, I guess we wouldn't want to be burdened with a high-profile search for a missing aircraft over the continental US (our No. 1 mission) when we are so busy taking pictures of possible chemical leaks.

[heliodoc]

^^^^

YEP  It's in alllll those priorities

But as stated above this is high viz operation and those folks (CBP, State, USAF) are PROBABLY able to pick up quicker than an AFRCC call to CAP

Granted, I get flamed for this comment, and I DO realize this is our No 1 mission

But those agencies have their SAR act set up already for this...why make ANOTHER phone call?

[RiverAux]

In what way are any of those agencies really ready to go looking for a missing civilian aircraft any more than CAP is?  I'd bet CAP does more missing airplane searches in a year than all of them have done together in the last five.

By the way, we've been flying all day on this mission. 

[heliodoc]

Well, River

I would imagine (since I would imagine that is TRUE OPSEC) that those agencies have contingencies for this type osf situation, wouldn't you agree??

I'm not betting anything.... CAP probably does more missing airplane searches

THOSE agencies are not reporting to CAP... but I would venture to say they have a SAR and recovery plan, documented in agency regs.  That much I would imagine

Again, I am not betting anything, they have aircraft and PLANS ready to do these operations and CAP flying this mission, today??  Well congrats

[Major Carrales]

Yeah, I guess we wouldn't want to be burdened with a high-profile search for a missing aircraft over the continental US (our No. 1 mission) when we are so busy taking pictures of possible chemical leaks.

That is something a PAO would/should/could never say in public.  We fly what we are given as our mission, that said, the CAP is already on the job on the search. There is a mission number, IC and staff already working.

The Mission over Houston/Galveston is no more or less important than a plane crash.  They are equal in scope.  We will do both and currrently are.

I'm starting to think that CAPTALK, because of the verbal fiascoes I've seen on here lately, is not really compatible with Civil Air Patrol Public Affairs.  Again, be mindful of what is being posted here.

[flyerthom]

My impression coming from the media is the plane is missing over Mexican territory. Therefore CAP would be not be  primary or even secondary assets.


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26746770/

[JohnKachenmeister]

That MIGHT be the reason we're not involved.  The Border Patrol has guns.  We don't.  You need guns there.

[flyerthom]

That MIGHT be the reason we're not involved.  The Border Patrol has guns.  We don't.  You need guns there.

STC?  I don't need no stinkin' STC!


(FWIW - and for the humor impaired  it's not me and  it's PVC pipe and black paint)

[DNall]

Just FYI.... TXWG conducted this REDCAP & fully supported ongoing disaster ops w/o shorting either one. It's a big state. That mission was 700 miles away from our hurricane op. I say past tense cause I was told it has been located & they're recovering remains. No confirmation of that or if CAP made the find, just that it's found.

We are currently doing somewhat more than looking for leaky pipes. I believe we've done something like 75 sorties on our state mission number alone. That's detailed systematic assessment photo runs over the whole area. We've also flown for FEMA, 1AF, and 3-4 others. We've flown at least half a dozen congressmen, county, & city officials. Our ground folks are working distribution sites, but very frustrated they aren't being allowed to do more.

NHQ PA will be out tmrw, as will a couple local media outlets doing features. I would expect some of that to make national media. I'll tell you right now that a whole lot of my area is damaged. Galveston is outright wrecked, as are some other areas east of Houston. Most everything else came out okay, but there is visible damage everywhere you look. Almost everyone was without power for at least a little while, and we still have well over a million out. Groceries & gas stations have been shut down, but are starting to come back. However, both are in very short supply with long lines & little to be had. In the face of that, our area hasn't behaved like morons as some other cities have. We've done an excellent job of being self reliant & helping each other out w/o waiting for govt to come save us. Regular people with their whole lives wrecked are out volunteering in force. That's getting a lot of press the last day or so. CAP is going to get featured as a way of highlighting that overall trend, and I hope it gets picked up so yall can see it too.

I got plenty complaints w/ the under utilization of CAP, and with CAP for not fixing our internal problems so that wouldn't be the case, but that's for lessons learned after this is over.

[CAPPAO]

So let me see if I've gotten this right. According to some of the posts CAP was actually in on this high profile mission. That's nice. So tell me why then we weren't listed with the other contributing agencies? Did AFRCC or the USAF or the FAA just FORGET we were involved?

[Rotorhead]

It isn't their job to do our PR. That's the CAP PAO (or MIO's) role.

The "list" of involved agencies in the story came from the International Water and Boundary Commission 's spokesperson.

I'm not suprised CAP was left off. I'm also not real surprised that CAP's own PAO didn't get us included in the story; it happens all the time.

[sparks]

After more than two days of searching, the Cessna was located at a very remote site in Mexico about 23 miles northwest of Presidio, Texas, and about 13 miles from the Rio Grande River in the Sierra Madre Mountains.

The fact it took more than 48 hours to find the plane raised security concerns along the border, where drug trafficking is common.

"This is very remote country, and we can't always be sure that people aren't crossing our border. The Customs and Border Protection Air Marine Organization is responsible for that; they do an excellent job, but it's very remote country," Marfa Sector Border Patrol spokesman Bill Brooks said. The site is only reachable on foot and is about a 30-minute walk from the nearest helicopter landing site, said agents.

Officers on the ground were able to confirm that it was the missing aircraft by its tail number.

The U.S. Border Patrol said the wreckage of the plane was found about 12:30 p.m. MDT Wednesday in a rugged section of the Sierra Madre Mountains in Mexico.

Since CAP isn't authorized to cross the border our assistance couldn't be requested. Also, the bandits/drug dealers are another disincentive. As noted before, they have guns we don't

[CAPPAO]

Since CAP isn't authorized to cross the border our assistance couldn't be requested.

None of the other agencies that were involved in the search are authorized to cross the border either, so I still think we should have been in on this from the beginning and listed with the others...

[Eclipse]

Since CAP isn't authorized to cross the border our assistance couldn't be requested.

None of the other agencies that were involved in the search are authorized to cross the border either, so I still think we should have been in on this from the beginning and listed with the others...

Please.

[notaNCO forever]

Why are you all making a big deal about this when we couldn't of made a difference anyways? Why do you even think they would involve a group of civilians for a multi country incident? I wouldn't want to be involved in the search anyways since there would probably be to much jurisdictional junk to deal with.