Probe: N.M. Sheriff's Helicopter Shot Down

[Eugene]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5201572,00.html

Probe: N.M. Sheriff's Helicopter Shot Down


Wednesday August 10, 2005 5:31 AM

ALBUQUERQUE (AP) - A sheriff's department helicopter that crashed
behind a home in Albuquerque during the weekend was brought down by
gunfire, authorities said Tuesday.

Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White said authorities have no
suspects yet but are working with the FBI.

Investigators examining the wreckage Monday noticed what appeared to
be a small hole in the windshield of the cockpit, White said.
"Deputies also located several items that are consistent with a
bullet that has fragmented upon impact."

Both the civilian pilot and the deputy on board when the helicopter
crashed early Saturday survived with minor injuries.

more...

[wli]

1. reminds me of how the Klan was dealt with in the 1960's

i.e. neighborhoods where basically everyone sniped at them from their windows.

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Pert_UK]

3. Guns don't bring down helicopters...

:evilgrin:

So...was this legitimate self defense?

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

5. It's comin' right for us! n/t

[formercia]

4. Those pesky insurgents again.

I'm afraid we may see more of this kind of activity. Too bad it's directed at the wrong people.

[Judi Lynn]

6. Updated story on the helicopter wreck

Sheriff says department helicopter was shot down

Wednesday, August 10, 2005; Posted: 7:21 a.m. EDT (11:21 GMT)
(CNN) -- A Bernalillo County Sheriff's Department helicopter that crashed Saturday in the yard of an Albuquerque home was brought down by a bullet, Sheriff Darren White said late Tuesday.

At a news conference in New Mexico, White showed pictures of where a bullet penetrated the windshield of the aircraft, known as Metro One, and shattered on a pedal the pilot uses to fly the helicopter.

The inside of the cockpit tested positive for lead fragments, according to forensic tests, and pilot Chris Holland and Deputy Ward Pfefferle suffered shrapnel wounds.

White did not specifically explain how the bullet brought Metro One down Saturday night.

"We intend to use every resource available to track down the coward who is responsible for this sick and twisted act," said White, who credited the experience of the crew for avoiding loss of life.
(snip/...)

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/08/10/copter.shootdown/index.html

[Doremus]

7. More than likely the pilot set it down to change his pants.

As wisely he should. But to suggest that the bullet forced the craft down is misleading. If the bullet had done that, more than likely it wouldn't have been a controlled landing and neither of the 2 passengers would have lived to tell the tale.

[Bandit]

8. Doubt very much the pilot even knew they had been shot at

Most helicopters when they lose power or hydraulics have to either auto-rotate down or make an immediate controlled (to a point) landing and have few casualties if any. Helicopters are actually pretty damn safe machines. Most helicopter crashes in the military do not result in casualties.

[AngryAmish]

9. I heard that

I'm no expert, but I heard that auto-rotating down slows the helicopter greatly and the impact is not as bad as on a fixed wing.

[formercia]

10. only if you have enough altitude to develop some revs,

otherwise you are a rock with slowly rotating blades

[benEzra]

11. You have to have enough altitude...

here's the scoop from a helicopter pilot (crossposted from The High Road):

I had a friend who got his helo rating a while ago. He explained that you never want to be hovering above 5 feet or below 500 feet.

Below 5 feet and the engine quits you don't fall far enough to die.

Above 500 feet and the engine quits you have time to autorotate.

In between you fall like a rock.

That is why many police copters "orbit" when they are flying low. It is much safer as the forward momentem can be translated into autorotation and save your backside if the engine quits.

If this helo was orbiting it was a very lucky shot.

If it was hovering the pilot was choosing poorly.

The helicopter was at an altitude of around 400 feet when the incident occurred. Since the bullet hit the rudder pedal (and fragmented), I suspect the cause of the hard landing was pilot distraction rather than mechanical damage. It also couldn't have been a very large caliber bullet or it wouldn't have fragmented merely by hitting the pedal.