Drone strikes helicopter carrying Kerrville city officials during flood recovery

A helicopter carrying Kerrville city officials conducting flood recovery operations was struck by an unauthorized drone, damaging the aircraft’s tail rotor and grounding a critical search asset during ongoing efforts to locate missing flood victims.

The Black Hawk helicopter was carrying City Councilmembers Delayne Sigerman, Jeff Harris and Kent McKinney, along with City Manager Dalton Rice and Assistant City Manager Michael Hornes when it struck the drone at 250 feet altitude.

The aircraft was piloted by a former Marine who is now a National Guard warrant officer, accompanied by a co-pilot and two crew chiefs. Mayor Joe Herring Jr. had opted out of the flight at the last minute.

Harris initially thought the pilot was “messing with us” by dropping altitude because “sometimes pilots will like to play the game” and “drop altitude real quick so your stomach kind of comes up.”

“But when we turned and started coming down, I was like, ‘Well, something’s not right.’ And you could feel a vibration in the helicopter,” Harris said. “I was like, ‘Something’s not right.’ Well, we get down on the ground and he goes, ‘We hit a drone.'”

Harris asked the warrant officer if it was a personal drone. “He goes, ‘We don’t know what it was. We think it was personal, but it was a big personal drone,'” Harris recounted.

Potentially Catastrophic Outcome Avoided

An aviation friend told Harris the outcome could have been far worse with different aircraft.

“I’ve got a friend of mine that’s been in aviation his whole life and he said if you were on a civilian William Bird, if you were on a bell or something with just two blades on the tail,” Harris said. “He goes, ‘I wouldn’t be talking to you tonight.'”

Harris said his friend told him, “Thank goodness you were on a big heavy bird that has five rotors on the tail rope.”

“The thing that happened yesterday with that is we all survived. We lived through it, you know, but we just lost an air asset that’s here to help us,” Harris said.

Critical Asset Lost

The drone strike resulted in the loss of a crucial air asset during active search operations for five Camp Mystic campers and one counselor who remain missing. The Army had to fly in replacement parts to repair the helicopter so it could return to Austin for full repairs.

The flight was the crew’s initial reconnaissance mission to familiarize themselves with the flood-damaged area before beginning systematic search operations.

No-Fly Zone Violations Continue

The incident occurred despite a federally mandated no-fly zone restricting the area to first responders and military assets only. Even authorized first responder drones are limited to 150 feet altitude, well below where the helicopter was operating.

After the damaged helicopter landed, two more unauthorized drones appeared in the area, highlighting the persistent problem hampering recovery efforts.

Enforcement Challenges

The Federal Aviation Administration can impose fines up to $75,000 for unauthorized drone operations in restricted airspace. Authorities can track and identify drone operators through serial numbers and electronic signatures, but enforcement remains challenging during active emergency operations.

Officials expressed significant frustration with civilian drone activity that endangers lives and hinders critical search operations. One official expressed a desire to have a “shotgun on board” to deal with unauthorized drones.

Ongoing Recovery Impact

The helicopter strike represents the second major drone-related incident since Friday’s flooding. Earlier this week, another emergency helicopter was forced to land after a drone collision, temporarily removing another critical search asset.

Officials continue to plead with the public to “keep your drones out” and “let the first responders and trained professionals do their jobs” as search operations continue for missing flood victims.

The death toll from Friday’s catastrophic flooding stands at 87, with search operations continuing along the devastated Guadalupe River corridor.