A San Antonio police helicopter lost power and had to land on a busy highway, the police chief said.
The pilot and an observer aboard the chopper were not seriously injured in the Thursday evening incident, Chief William McManus told the San Antonio Express-News.
The emergency landing tied up traffic for hours on U.S. Route 281 near San Antonio International Airport.
McManus said the 3½-year-old, two-passenger Blue Eagle helicopter, one of three in service, was responding to a call when it suddenly lost power, landed and skidded 100 yards to a stop near an exit ramp.
He said it was an "auto-rotating landing" that police pilots routinely practice.
"He performed a controlled landing, and there was no structural damage to the craft and no injuries," McManus said.
The chief said the chopper, was just shy of the airport's edge but did not have enough power to reach it or adjoining open space, less than 300 yards away.
He said the engine had been overhauled recently and he was sure maintenance procedures had been followed.