A Texas Department of Public Safety helicopter crashed Thursday evening in a field near the state’s southern border after experiencing a “total loss of power” midflight, according to officials.

At about 7:20 p.m., the two-person crew aboard the single-engine helicopter entered into an “auto-rotative descent” before crashing near Farm-to-Market Road 1908, just west of Farm-to-Market Road 131 in Kinney County, Lt. Chris Olivarez, a DPS spokesperson, said Thursday evening in a post to X.

The co-pilot suffered a minor hand injury and the helicopter sustained “substantial” damage, Olivarez said.

The helicopter, a Eurocopter AS350 B2, crashed into a field near Spofford, according to Crystal Essiaw, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson. Spofford is an unincorporated town south of Brackettville, the county seat of Kinney County.

The FAA’s preliminary investigation of the crash, typically released the next business day, states that “engine issues” led to the crash. In a statement Friday, Essiaw said the investigation remains ongoing.

Olivarez said the helicopter was in a “border interdiction patrol flight” as part of Operation Lone Star, Gov. Greg Abbott’s border security initiative launched in March 2021 in response to rising border crossings.

The nature of the operation the helicopter was working at the time of the crash is unclear. DPS did not immediately respond to a list of questions Friday. In his post to X, Olivarez said DPS would not release additional information until NTSB completes its investigation.

A preliminary report by the NTSB should be published online within two to three weeks. The final report could take 12 to 24 months, said Sarah Taylor Sulick, an NTSB spokesperson, in a statement.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: DPS helicopter crashes after ‘total power loss’ near Texas-Mexico border