Mysterious Helicopter Circles Over San Angelo

SAN ANGELO, TX — Numerous readers have inquired about a helicopter that was circling multiple times around San Angelo for hours. The west side of San Angelo sits underneath the final approach path for Mathis Field’s primary runway 18. However, winds have been favoring northerly departures and landings on runway 36.

The helicopter was witnessed hovering around various locations Friday night from around 9:30 p.m. until 10:30 p.m. It reappeared Saturday afternoon. We spotted it over the Bentwood Country Club Estates a few moments ago.

Mathis Field’s tower confirmed that the helicopter is carrying a U.S. Customs and Border Patrol call sign but other than de-conflicting the helicopter's flight path with outbound traffic from the airport, they are not aware of what its mission is.

The speculation is that the helicopter is practicing with a sensor that apparently works in the daylight or nighttime. We have reached out to our contacts at the CBP to confirm or deny.