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California Wing Civil Air Patrol Helping to Solve Mystery

August 9, 2020

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California Wing Civil Air Patrol Helping to Solve Mystery 

Bay Area Personnel Assist in Search at Reid-Hillview Airport 


Reid-Hillview Airport, San Jose – Civil Air Patrol members from the San Francisco Bay Area are assisting the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in a search for the remains of a drone or a bird that may have struck a Cessna 172 near Reid-Hillview Airport. 

Earlier this week, a Cessna 172 was damaged in a collision with an unknown object that may have been a drone or a bird. The Cessna was struck while landing at Reid-Hillview airport. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the incident to determine the nature of the object and has requested Civil Air Patrol’s aid through The California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES).  

Cal OES requested California Wing of the Civil Air Patrol in a mutual aid request to work alongside the Santa Clara Search and Rescue (SAR) team to conduct a line search in the areas bordering Reid-Hillview airport. Nine Civil Air Patrol members from San Jose, Los Gatos, Martinez, Campbell, Watsonville, Cupertino, Roseville, and Groveland are involved in the search. 

“This is a very unusual mission that is challenging to conduct while ensuring COVID-19 social distancing requirements,” according to Lt Col Christopher Suter, Incident Commander. “Fortunately, many of our members have been using social distancing during their participation in the recent extraordinarily successful Cal OES mission to support multiple food banks in California.” 

As a trained disaster preparedness relief organization, Civil Air Patrol has provided support to government agencies and nonprofit organizations throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Acting as a Total Force partner and official civilian auxiliary of the Air Force, Civil Air Patrol is aligned with 1st Air Force to rapidly respond to non-military threats domestically when tasked in a Defense Support of Civil Authorities capacity to save lives, relieve suffering, prevent property damage and provide humanitarian assistance. 

CAP Contact: Lt Col Noel Luneau, (510) 858-4699, e-mail: noel.luneau@cawg.cap.gov 

Civil Air Patrol is the longtime auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force and as such is a valued member of its Total Force. In its auxiliary role, CAP operates a fleet of 560 single-engine aircraft and 1,550 small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS). It performs about 90% of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and is credited by the AFRCC with saving an average of 110 lives annually. CAP’s 66,000 members also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. Operating as a nonprofit organization, CAP also plays a leading role in STEM/aerospace education, and its members serve as mentors to 28,000 young people participating in CAP’s Cadet Programs. Visit www.CAP.News or www.GoCivilAirPatrol.com for more information. 

For More Information:

CAP Contact: Lt Col Noel Luneau, (510) 858-4699, e-mail: noel.luneau@cawg.cap.gov 

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