Two Aircraft Hit By Gunfire

[Alan Coats]

This was on AvWeb -


Right here in the U.S. Last Wednesday, an instructor and student were flying in a gyrocopter at about 800 feet over Springville, Utah, when they felt a "pop" and couldn't tell what was wrong. During the 10-minute flight back to the airport, they heard a strange whistling sound, and on landing they found a bullet hole in the rotor. Then on Saturday night, a sheriff's helicopter flying above an Albuquerque neighborhood to investigate a burglary was hit by a bullet that shattered the windshield. The pilot said he heard a pop and the helicopter lost power. He was able to land the aircraft in a backyard, but tore down trees and a fence along the way. Both men on board were hit by shrapnel and suffered minor impact injuries. "Let me be very clear, we intend to use every resource available to track down the coward who is responsible for committing this sick and twisted act," Sheriff Darren White told The Associated Press.


Alan

[Doug Riley]

One of the first PRA mags I received, back in 1969, reported a similar incident. A gyro and a couple of other aircraft were hit by small-arms fire.

[PW_Plack]

To a polygamist or a paranoid pot-farmer, a two-place gyro overhead could probably be mistaken for a surveillance aircraft. Flying low and slow is fun, but there is a downside.

[KenSandyEggo]

Another article said the prop-edge was nicked on the gyro, not the rotor, which in my estimation could easily have been a bolt or nut left on the engine. Wonder which story is true.

[craigjackson]

There is a nudist colony (Naked City http://www.sunauraresort.com) not far from my home airport. I've flown over a couple of times, but don't dally for fear that I might make a good target. Of course, in an engine out situation, it does make for a good landing "strip." :p

[TomCarlisle]

I was there at Spanish Fork when the incident occured. In fact, it was the son of a friend that I had taken for training that was in the sparrowhawk when it got hit. It was a bullet that hit the prop (not the rotor) and it came from the rear through the prop. The sherriffs department took the prop blade and the lab comfirmed that it was a bullet. As far as I know, no one has be caught yet. In the Albuquerque incident an arrest had been made. State charges are in effect and Federal charges are being considered. By the way, my friend soloed from a no time start in one week. Nate Oldham and crew (instructer Mike Burton and Mechanic/instructor Andy) are outstanding people and come highly recommended. The Spanish Fork/Springville area is a fabulos area to fly. They let us plug our campers into the hanger and we camped on the ramp all week. I got to fly in fixed wing and helicopters, we set up in the hanger and played music and had just a great old time. Don't miss these people if you are ever in the Spanish Fork, Utah area.

[PW_Plack]

Hey, Craig, at least you know they don't have concealed permits!

[drifter57]

Here are some photos of Mike Burton with the prop blade that was hit in Spanish Fork, Utah. I've had the blade in hand and can say it appears to be about a .308 sized hole. The photos don't show it very well, but there is an area around the hole about an inch and a quarter in diameter where the laminate separated and bubbled. It is fortunate the Warpdrive prop is so tough. A lesser blade may have shattered and caused an imbalance that could have torn the engine from the airframe. Terrifying thought. What kind of nut-job gets the idea it's OK to shoot at an aircraft? :mad:

[Canadian Rhino]

Hey Mike, was that the same blade that had the little stone dent in it? This is the picture Al Waddill took of you and me in the ill fated bird a month earlier!

[MichaelBurton]

Luck would have it that is was an undamaged blade up to this point. On the blade that was damaged by debris the damage had a definate arc to it and started at the leading edge. This damage is much different. and comes from the face/flat side to the front/camber side. It also expands in that direction and has little or no arc to the damage.

[automan1223]

Arrest Made In Police Helo Shoot-Down

Thu, 18 Aug '05
Suspect: Former Marine Wounded In Afghanistan

Aero-News Senior Editor Pete Combs has been investigating the use of firearms against aircraft. Click here to listen to the story.

A 29-year old former USMC marksmanship instructor has been arrested in the August 6th shoot-down of a Bernalillo County Sheriff's helicopter in Albuquerque.

Jason Kerns, who told police he was a "sniper" and that he saw the entire incident late that night, is being held on $1.8 million bond.

He was arrested late Monday, charged with assault with intent to commit a violent felony on a peace officer, criminal damage to property and tampering with evidence, according to a warrant obtained by the Albuquerque Journal. Police, however, said they suspected Kerns for some time.

As ANN reported last week, the Hughes 369 Sky Knight was orbiting a crime scene when pilot Chris Holland heard a loud bang -- "the loudest bang he ever heard," according to Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White. Both Holland, a civilian contract pilot, and Deputy Ward Pfefferle, were hit by shrapnel as the bullet entered the plexiglass bubble canopy, struck an anti-torque pedal, fragmented and bounced around the cockpit. Even though he was wounded, Holland was able to auto-rotate from approximately 400 feet, landing hard in the backyard of a west Albuquerque residence.

White praised Holland as a hero. The pilot continues to suffer from a severe cut to his leg.

The Sky Knight helicopter was destroyed.

Law officers say they were approached by Kerns at the crash scene. He said he saw the whole thing and heard a gunshot just before the helo went down.

He also said that he became very annoyed at the helicopter as it orbited near his home. Deputies said Kerns told them he would have been able to "make the shot" without a problem -- even given the distance -- and that the helicopter "was a great target."

Even that night, investigators said, Kerns story wasn't "solid and was misleading." For instance, no one else in the neighborhood heard the shot. And even though Kerns couldn't have seen the crash site from his home, he drove directly to it immediately after the Hughes went down. While he had military training that would have allowed him to pinpoint the shot he said he heard, Kerns was unable to do so, according to investigators.

Detectives searched Kerns' home the night of the crash, then again three days later. In the meantime, they said, they tailed Kerns. When he spotted deputies following him, Kerns tried to elude them by driving his Corvette at more than 100 miles an hour.

As they searched Kerns' house a second time, Bernalillo County deputies and the FBI reportedly found a 30-06 rifle, a silencer and, inside a trash can, a spent shell casing wrapped in masking tape. Further, the ammunition found in Kerns house matched bullet fragments taken from both the helicopter's cockpit and Holland's leg.