Hearing of a coast guard crash is not an event that one expects to hear in the daily news, but for those who work or serve in the coast guard it is a reality that they must be prepared for on a daily basis. Compared to other law enforcement or military against the coast guard have more hostile encounters while on duty on a daily basis.

Today the illegal drug trade has mushroomed due to the impressive profits that can be made through trafficking the illegal drugs, air trafficking is avoided due to the stringent checking and x-rays that detect drugs if on a person either external or internal. Drug smugglers have found other means of transporting the illicit materials choosing the sea boarders and land boarders to smuggle the good and drugs. Many consider that military forces of many nations are just sitting around when they can be redeployed to do public service or projects that will keep them busy while in wait to defend the nation.

A coast guard crash would usually occur due to hostile encounters with in most cases armed smugglers, the law expects that the coast guard should ask the pursued victim to stop and surrender first if the person or vessel does not stop than they make warning shots that pass in front of the speeding vessel.  This takes between 10 to 15 minutes between the two warnings precious time for the coast guard personnel flying in the air craft since it leaves them venerable to attack from the smugglers vessel.

On defying this order the final step is to immobilize the smugglers water crafts engine using a high caliber rifle that brakes and damages the engine thus stopping the vessel were other coast guard marine vessels may approach and search the vessel. This inability to immobilize a vessel on the run immediacy has been pinpointed as the main cause of coast guard crash accidents.

Smugglers are usually armed with powerful fire power and are not ready to give in without a fight, this is because the law penalized them a hefty jail sentence for smuggling, and they would rather cause a coast guard crash rather than go to jail. Most of the air craft used by the coast guard are equipped with anti mortar or missile decoys but the problem has changed with smugglers realizing that there is virtually no defense from high caliber rifles that pack a punch in engine parts.  The same technique that was used on the smugglers is today used by smugglers to cause air craft belonging to the coast guard crash.

It is developing in to a major problem with coast guard air craft especially the helicopter used in patrolling and quick pursuits

being targeted. The helicopter is important as it hovers and can be used to seize a smuggling cartel with all evidence on board but the exact hovering makes it venerable to attack from the enemy. Although the causalities from coast guard crash helicopter or air craft is minimal due to the fact that they crash on water the concern still lingers in the mind of most coast guard personnel before going on patrol in the open waters.