The FBI is investigating the shooting of a military helicopter during a training mission in Northern Virginia this week, and injured one crew member who was on board, officials said Wednesday.
The air force helicopter flew over Middleburg on Monday when it was shot from the ground nearby, according to authorities. The helicopter made an emergency landing at Manassas Regional Airport, and federal agents were called to the scene to investigate, the FBI said in a statement.
The crew members on board the UH-1N Huey helicopter, assigned to the 1st Squadron Helicopter at Joint Base Andrews, were on a routine training mission when the helicopter was hit by a bullet, the Air Force said in a statement. The helicopter was about 10 miles northwest of the airport, near Middleburg, and flew about 1,000 feet above the ground when it was hit, according to officials.
One crew member in the helicopter was injured but has since been treated and released from the hospital, according to authorities. The initial findings of the investigation show that the helicopter was hit by a bullet, which caused some damage to the aircraft, although it came to rest safely, the Air Force said.
A UH-1N helicopter, shown here in a file image, made an emergency landing after it was hit by a bullet on Monday.
(Air Force, file)
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The squadron transports senior military and civilian leaders, along with high-ranking dignitaries, and also conducts medical evacuations from emergencies.
Agents from the FBI’s field office in Washington and from the bureau’s evidence response were called to the airport after the shooting on Monday. The FBI said it was working alongside other law enforcement agencies, including the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, to “determine the circumstances surrounding the incident.”
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Patty Prince, spokesman for the city of Manassas, said the airport received a call from the control tower on Monday at 12.20pm about an incoming military helicopter carrying an emergency source.
Investigators also want to talk to witnesses and have asked anyone who was currently in the area to call the FBI.
