A U.S. Air Force helicopter was shot at while flying over Virginia and was forced to make an emergency landing, McClatchy is reporting.
While the event is being initially revealed on Wednesday, the event occurred on Monday, according to military officials.
A crew member, who was not identified, was injured and was treated at a hospital and later released.
The FBI “dispatched Special Agents and its Evidence Response Team to the Manassas Airport after receiving reports that a helicopter was shot at from the ground nearby,” the FBI’s Washington Field Office said in a statement to McClatchy.
The helicopter was identified as a UH-1N Huey helicopter is assigned to the 1st Helicopter Squadron at Joint Base Andrew.
Here is a video of the helicopters assigned to the 1st Helicopter Squadron:
Another video from 2017 details how the Air Force responded to a previous emergency response to an F-16 crash.
The 1st Helicopter Squadron carries out local airlift operations for senior military and civilian leaders, high-ranking dignitaries, distinguished visitors, Defense Support of Civil Authorities, and emergency medical evacuation.
An UH-1N Iroquois lands at Joint Base Andrews, Md., April 13, 2017. The helicopters belong to the 1st Helicopter Squadron, which performed a medical evacuation of a downed pilot during the F-16 Fighting Falcon crash incident April 5. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jordyn Fetter)
Capt. Jason Pettengill, 11th Wing executive officer, walks past a 1st Helicopter Squadron UH-1N Iroquois after a flight at Joint Base Andrews, Md., April 13, 2017. The 1st HS played a role in the F-16 Fighting Falcon crash six miles southwest of JBA by recovering a downed pilot, who sustained non-life threatening injuries. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jordyn Fetter)
The FBI said it is investigating the Monday incident.
“The FBI Washington 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. One individual in the helicopter sustained a non-threatening injury, for which he was treated and subsequently released from the hospital,” the FBI said in additional statements to McClatchy.
Officials at Manassas Regional Airport told McClatchy they received a call around 12:20 p.m. alerting them of the emergency landing.
Lt. Col. Scott Dunning, 2nd Lt. Andre Young and Staff Sgt. Adrian Acasio, flight crew from the 1st Helicopter Squadron, prepare for takeoff on Joint Base Andrews, Md., July 30, 2020. (U.S. Air Force photos by Airman 1st Class Bridgitte Taylor)
Airport operations officer Richard Allabaugh said they were advised of the landing and that “paramedics were on the way.”
The helicopter remained at the airport after the emergency landing.
“The Office of Special Investigations is fully engaged with our FBI colleagues on this incident. OSI take threats to our Airmen and our resources very seriously. As this is an ongoing investigation, no further investigative details can be released at this time,” Joint Base Andrews said in a statement to McClatchy.
Here are more pictures of UH-1N Huey helicopters like the one involved in Monday’s incident:
A U.S. Air Force UH-1N Iroquois helicopter drops off search and rescue members at Kasuminome Airfield March 13, 2011. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Krystal M. Garrett)
Tech. Sgt. Michael Wright, a 459th Airlift Squadron special mission aviator evaluator, holds onto the cable as Master Sgt. Antonio Gueits, a 374th Operation Group resource adviser, is hoisted into a UH-1N Huey at a drop zone near Mount Fuji, Japan, Jan. 13, 2017. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. David Owsianka)
A UH-1N Huey from the 37th Helicopter Squadron at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyo., lands at the U.S. Air Force Academy’s preparatory school in Colorado Springs, Colo., Nov. 30, 2015. (U.S. Air Force photo/Mike Kaplan)
