Helicopter Makes Emergency Landing at Houlton Airport

A fire aboard a U.S. Border Patrol helicopter Friday night forced it to make an emergency landing at the Houlton International Airport.

Houlton Police confirm the incident occurred shortly before 9:00 p.m.  A minor mechanical failure sparked a small fire on board, and the pilot brought the helicopter down about 300 feet shy of Runway 5, according to an airport employee.  The two people in the helicopter were not injured.

The Houlton airport was still closed Saturday morning.  We expect more details from the U.S. Border Patrol in Houlton and will pass that information along as soon as possible.

According to the Customs and Border Patrol's website, the Houlton Air Branch supports six Border Patrol stations in Maine as well as the Houlton U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office. The branch monitors more than 600 miles of land and river border and more than 200 miles of north Atlantic coast. Aviation assets include Cessna C-206 aircraft and Bell 407 helicopters.