Pete Cunha, a local California Highway Patrol pilot contacted by the newspaper, also said rescuers should have left the task to experts. "It's not a game for amateurs," said Cunha. CHP has a couple of FLIR equipped Eurocopter 350B3’s but won't fly them in rough terrain at night. He said the authorities have to keep control of these types of operations (even if they can't or won't participate in them). "If we allowed this kind of thing to continue, for instance, could you imagine the onslaught of good-minded people wanting to become involved in uncontrolled situations?" he said, likening the incident to volunteers with hunting rifles showing up at a police standoff wanting to help. "We simply could not have that."
The civilians had both FLIR and NVG's.....the Butte County SO 206 has neither.
Seems to me the "Experts" did the job and the Amateurs sat out the night.
I wonder if they were running up and down I-5 looking for speeding truckers or something? One must have priorities you know.