Military Helicopter Shot at From Ground in Virginia-Crew Injury Reported

| August 12, 2020

A UN-H1 helicopter got shot at from the ground. It made an emergency landing at Manassas Regional Airport. (Air Force)

An Air Force helicopter was conducting a training flight over Virginia when it was shot at from the ground. It made an emergency landing at Manassas Regional Airport.  One of the crew members got treated for a minor injury then released. The helicopter itself got damaged.

From the Air Force Times:

The FBI is investigating the incident, along with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, Andrews said, and the initial findings are that a bullet struck the aircraft.

Richard Allabaugh, the airport operations officer at Manassas Regional Airport, said in an interview that the airport’s tower alerted them at about 12:20 p.m. that a military helicopter was coming in with an in-flight emergency.

One person aboard the helicopter had a bleeding hand, Allabaugh said the tower reported.

At 12:43, Andrews said, the helicopter landed safely. Paramedics arrived shortly afterwards, Allabaugh said.

The FBI’s Washington field office said in a statement that it dispatched special agents and its Evidence Response Team to the airport after receiving reports that a helicopter had been shot at from the ground nearby.

The FBI said its field office “is working jointly with our law enforcement partners, including the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident.”

The injured man in the helicopter was treated and released at a hospital, the FBI said.

The FBI asked that anyone near the area at the time of the incident, who may have information, call the Washington field office at 202-278-2000.

The 1st Helicopter Squadron has crews on alert around the clock for several vital missions, such as providing airlift for distinguished visitors, the Air Force District of Washington’s website said.

The Air Force Times has more details in this article.

Category: Air Force

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2banana

Oh…good.

The FBI is investigating. Case should be solved real soon.

Hey, the mostly peaceful protestors are permanently blinding cops and federal agents with lasers now. Logical next step.

UpNorth

GMTA, 2banana.

5th/77th FA

Over Manassas? Mighta been this dude here:

comment image&exph=1536&expw=2048&q=manassas+battlefield&simid=607987233912524723&ck=B112605FCE2B92130A7D59D6D35BCE33&selectedIndex=70&FORM=IRPRST&ajaxhist=0

Or maybe these cats?

comment image%3fw%3d640&exph=426&expw=640&q=manassas+battlefield&simid=607996588369708250&ck=D99A58FBC04B30478AD586381A4E7588&selectedIndex=59&FORM=IRPRST&ajaxhist=0

rgr769

I was trained as a horse drawn artillery crewman on a three inch ordinance rifle like the one in the second photo. I did the ramming of the round.

KoB

Major John “The Gallant Young” Pelham is beaming with pride over you rgr769. The Horse Artillery Boys caught hell on many of an occasion back in them bad old days. Worse duty had to of been that poor guy that had to keep the team together, hitched to the limber, with his back to the enemy, awaiting the word to come and move the piece.

We prolly crossed paths on a number of fields over the years. Done counter battery fire, siege operations, rolling barrages, formed squares, and guarded against Cavalry.

Sapper3307

Don’t buzz a Weed crop.

Sapper3307

Never buZZZ a weed crop.

Cowpill

I’s sure it was a “peaceful” protest

Martinjmpr

Has Steve Earle been interviewed yet?

ChipNASA

Yeah, you wanna fuck up BAD? You shoot at one of the President’s Helecopters. I mean it wasn’t one of the Marine One birds but it was from the 1st Hele Sq at Andrews AFB (FUCK YOU BRAC AND CONGRESS, I’LL NEVER CALL IT JOINT BASE ANYTHING YOU FUCKING FUCKED CUCKTARDS, FUCK-A-MCGEES, GOT-Damn-It…..) Anyway, what was I saying? Oh yeah, 1st Hele Sq, Yeah, that’s like shooting at the presidential or other top level staff motorcade and thinking no one will notice. Like that shit happens all the time in DC, I mean shit driving or flying around assigned to some top shitdog and you gonna shoot at it?? You might as well stand in the middle of fucking Allentown Road and shoot a bunch of incoming aircraft with a handheld laser at dusk while wearing red pajamas and a PT fucking belt, Jesus fucking CHRIST. Like the folks from the Boston area and surrounding counties, the lovely people from Northern Vagina, i.e. “Manassholes” (Vice “Massholes”), for some reason, I’m not terribly surprised something like this happened. Scary Black Flying Thingies I read about it on the INTRAWEBS conspiracies crowd or maybe someone was just stupid enough to take a pot (hat tip/nod to Sapper3307) shot at an aircraft of some time and well it wa a hele-o-copter so that thingie flies slow enough, I’ll just shoot that bitch. “Hold Mah Beer”…. Shit, it’s a little early in the week (Monday) and we’re just hearing about it now, but maybe it was an extended weekend or something or maybe it was just COVID, Fuck It, Imma gonna have me some fun…. I just don’t see this turning out good for someone because you 1. Put a fucking HOLE in a US AIR FORCE (Marine?) aircraft, (OK Fine…DOD), and 2. Maybe this should b e number 1. BUT/however since I was one, YOU SHOT AN ACTIVE DUTY MILITARY MEMBER, boy, you in a HEAP of trouble. Of course, the equipment comes first probably rather than the Airman but I’m really glad he’s ok (DID YOU FUCKING JUST ASSUME MY GENDER AND/OR… Read more »

FuzeVT

Carswell AFB ≠ Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth.

NAS JRB Fort Worth is got to be one of the worst names for a base ever. Major Horace S. “Stump” Carswell Jr deserves better. He’s not even one of those Civil War guys that’s been harassing people, I hear.

Graybeard

Reminds me of the probably-apocryphal story of the guy who called to complain about the Apaches (or some such armed helo) scaring his cows, and threatening to shoot the next one.

The response was “The choice is yours, Sir. But be advised that our men are armed and authorize to defend themselves against any and all attacks.”

From the pic I’m guessing this is a slick – y’all know more about that stuff than I do. Wonder if they’d mount a fishing expedition with some gunships standing off to respond if they got a bite?

UpNorth

“Wonder if they’d mount a fishing expedition with some gunships standing off to respond if they got a bite”? We can only hope they’d do that.

Graybeard

An early response like that’d have some deterrence value, IMHO

26Limabeans

Be nice to have the gun follow one of those laser pointers
right back to the source. That shit would end post haste.

timactual

“In March 2013, the U.S. Air Force operated 62 UH-1N Hueys with ….. 19 stationed at Joint Base Andrews to evacuate Washington-based government officials in emergencies,”

Government officials, eh? I’m surprised it hasn’t happened before. Of course in any real emergency requiring the evacuation of essential government officials (and I think we all know what that would be) I think they might have a gunship or two escorting them to protect them from “enemy” fire.

/sarc

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_UH-1N_Twin_Huey

Slow Joe

So, was this the Democrats new Fort Stunted?

I guess they really really want another go at a civil war. Last time they lost. I don’t get from where they get the idea they can win now, especially when their base now is California and New York, with the old South firmly on the Republican side.

Anonymous

They’re slow learners.

pete45573A

Hmm, a white-topped helicopter comment image] flying over a liberal/lefty bastion… I hope I’m wrong (I usually am).

Outcast

Gasp, an Air Force helicopter shot at, man you guys need to get up dated by current news provided by some of the sites that are “Veterans” and learn that the infantry and marines are the only ones that get shot at (still wonder about that mortar that almost landed in my back pocket during TET, lucky there was a tree in the way) and those of us that were in the Air Force were cowards and hid on nice Air Conditioned bases in the rear (screened in hooch’s and fan) with fancy swimming pools (sand pit near staging area was closed after some naked fellows were seen swimming there by some night alert birds that were scrambled) plus we never had what one could call gun ships or at least I never saw a Pedro that was armed (oh wait we had Spooky)

timactual

The legendary “Golden BB”.