Copter landing surprises neighborhood (Resident opens fire on chopper)

(Hampton Roads, VA) Daily Press ^ | 7.19.02 | Brian Whitson and Patti Rosenberg

[mhking]

Copter landing surprises neighborhood
Police are investigating incident

By Brian Whitson and Patti Rosenberg
Daily Press

July 18, 2002, 3:02 PM EDT

JAMES CITY -- When John Chwaszczewski bought his house two years ago on Magruder Lane, he wanted a quiet place to relax and vacation during the summer months.

For the most part, that had been the case -- until Saturday morning when the neighborhood quickly became less of the vacation spot and more like something out of "Men In Black."

It was about 8 a.m. when Chwaszczewski, who was doing a little painting in his detached garage, heard a thunderous sound that sounded like it was right on top of him. He looked outside and saw a white helicopter hovering just 20 feet above the garage.

"I didn't know what was going on," said Chwaszczewski, who is a semi-retired construction worker who lives most of the year in Port Monmouth, N.J.

The helicopter then swooped down, just missing the top of his house and car, and landed in a vacant lot across the street, he said.

"It damned near took off the roof of my garage," Chwaszczewski said. "I ran across the street and the first thing I did was get the number of the helicopter."

The second thing Chwaszczewski did was run back inside to get his gun. When he looked out of his house, he saw a man hidden behind a tree, Chwaszczewski said. The man wore a business suit and ran over to the helicopter carrying a large black box, he said.

"My initial reaction was, this had got to be terrorists," he said. "I fired two shots. I tried to knock the windshield out of it. I don't know if I hit anything."

Chwaszczewski would not say what kind of gun he fired. He said the helicopter took off and he thought about firing more rounds but didn't for fear of making it crash in the neighborhood.

"It just happened so quick," he said.

The pilot of the helicopter insists a panel light came on and he landed as a precaution.

Police are investigating the incident to determine whether the helicopter malfunctioned or whether the pilot had planned the landing all along.

The passenger who was picked up lives across the street from where the helicopter landed.

Police say the man may not have been hiding behind the tree, but he may have been waiting for the helicopter.

The pilot said he wasn't aware shots were being fired when he landed.

Brian Whitson can be reached at 221-7220 or by e-mail at bwhitson@dailypress.com

[mhking]

"Here, hold muh beer so I c'n shoot at that thar heliocopter..."

[Kerberos]

Now here's a guy who takes homeland security seriously.

[subterfuge]

Wouldn't you have to be a pretty lousy shot to miss a helicopter. Weird. And aren't they supposed to be black helicopters?

[RightWhale]

a pretty lousy shot to miss a helicopter

Downdraft. Shot could go anywhere.

[Atlas Sneezed]

Bang

[Freedom4US]

Well, guess what. If he had a "panel light" it was probably a chip light -- and ya can't really take off again without at least taking a look at the chip detector in the appropriate gearbox. Convenient excuse, though.

[CaptRon]

Sure could use a few more vowels.

[Jonah Hex]

Idiot (the shooter, I mean). Everybody knows helicopters are out of season this time of year in Tidewater. Naugas, on the other hand .........

[DETAILER]

Probably a short barrel pistol in a small caliber - not accurate as far as across the street.

[DoughtyOne]

Nubmer one, the copter pilot landed to pick up a friend. His butt's in trouble. Second, the homeowner should only shoot at someone when there is a direct and clear threat. There person getting on the copter didn't represent that as described here. Sorry folks, not every situation is "TERRORISM" and this is the reason why the government should back off just a tad. People are panicing.

[Movemout]

In a similar situation about 15 years ago I was working in my garage when a helo descended to the suburban intersection in front of my house. I didn't get my gun. It turns out that neighborhoods have designated helo landing sites for medevac services. That was the case here. The ambulance roared up moments after the landing and they loaded a stretcher with a sick guy and flew off. That doesn't seem to be the case in this article.

[steve in DC]

Idiot (the shooter, I mean). Everybody knows helicopters are out of season this time of year in Tidewater. Naugas, on the other hand .........

Well, it's not like he actually took one out of season. I mean, they can be pests and he really only scared it off.

[Jonah Hex]

Actually, he tried to pop it with an AR-15. Then he tried to cut up the weapon with a saw.

Idiot (the shooter,I mean).

[RolandBurnam]

maybe they should back off gate-rape of obviously non-terrorist individuals and concentrate the big fish

[TADSLOS]

The pilot of the helicopter insists a panel light came on and he landed as a precaution.

The passenger who was picked up lives across the street from where the helicopter landed

This is BS. The pilot's covering his butt for knowingly landing (presumably) illegally to pick up a passenger in a residential neighborhood. If he had to execute a precautionary landing because a caution/warning light came on he would have shut down (or, at least, I would have), and why did a guy in a business suit then board and the pilot take off if he had indications of a malfunction?

Some business exec just didn't want to make the drive to where the aircraft was parked and the pilot caved to his bosses demands, hoping that the FAA wouldn't be the wiser.

[William Terrell]

Downdraft affects path of round. Adjust elevation. Noted.

[tracer]

And hitting the windshield of a chopper or an automobile yields unpredictable results. Hitting at an angle could result in a richochet.

This dufus is lucky not to be sitting in jail awaiting arraignment for his "bravery" in firing at subjects who were not firing at him.........

[Willie Green]

"Here, hold muh beer so I c'n shoot at that thar heliocopter..."

Kinda reminiscent of Ernie Holmes who played on Pittsburgh's famed "Steel Curtain" defensive line back in the early '70s.
That kook took some pot shots at a state police heliocopter.
I forget what the outcome of that little escapade was.

[monday]

<>"His butt's in trouble. "

Why? Is it illegal to land a helocopter where you want? A helocopter landed in my front yard when my neighbor had a heart attack last year. No one cared then?

[piasa]

.