Helicopters of DC

Notable Incidents

Fatal Crashes

Over the years, there have been 13 helicopter crashes in the District of Columbia most recently in 2006. 3 of the 13 resulted in fatalities.

MPD Crash - June 5, 1979

The first fatal helicopter crash in the District of Columbia took place on a Tuesday afternoon in Southeast DC. A Bell 47 helicopter (a model familiar to some from the opening credits of MAS*H) carried two DC police officers who were flying low, in support of police on the ground who were seemingly chasing a burgler. The helicopter was flying at a low altitude when the pilot may have failed to follow procedure or maintain attention, and lost control. After hitting powerlines and crashing to the ground on the 700 block of Yuma St SE, near what was then an elementary school and now is Washington Highland Recreation Center, the helicopter burst into flame. Despite efforts of passersby who came to the officers’ aid, neither survived.

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Photography Flight - August 21, 1987

The second fatal helicopter crash in DC history took place during a chartered flight for a photo shoot commissioned by a real estate firm. The helicopter - a Bell 206 - was flying low over the Potomac River, specifically the Washington Channel area between the District Wharf/Southwest Waterfront and the East Potomac Park. It seemingly encountered an engine issue, which was complicated by inadvisable piloting choices (namely flying too low and thus less able to control its descent). The helicopter crashed into the water and floated but was upside down. The pilot was able to free himself and survived, but the three passengers onboard all perished. In addition to the photographer, the other passengers included an employee of the real estate firm and a friend of the photographer’s who had tagged along for the experience.

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Medevac Flight - May 30, 2006

The third and most recent fatal helicopter crash in DC took place in 2006 near Washington Hospital Center. A patient from what was then Greater Southeast Community Hospital in southeast DC (now United Medical Center) was in “extremely critical” condition and needed to be transported to the larger Irving Street hospital. The pilot attempted several times to land at the helipads on the far western side of the campus. After facing difficulties, an earlier pilot error resulted in a situation that made the helicopter increasingly hard to control. As he lost control, the pilot purposefully maneuvered so as to land in the nearby golf course in the southwest corner of the Armed Forces Retirement Home rather than several closer but possibly more populated areas. The pilot and 2 other crew survived the landing with relatively minor injuries, but the patient - who was already in very bad shape - suffered from the crash and delay in car while he was being removed from the crash site and driven to the nearby hospital and would eventually sucumb.

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Rescues

The US Park Police Aviation Unit has participated in numerous rescue and law enforcement encounters, but perhaps one of the most dramatic was in the aftermath of the 1982 crash of Air Florida Flight 90. The passenger airplane stalled and crashed shortly after takeoff from the National Airport, landing moments later in the frozen Potomac River. A confluence of tragic coincidences resulted in a Park Police helicopter and nearby motorists being the main source of rescue for the five survivors of the crash.

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Controversial Incidents

2019 Reflecting Pool Incident

The unit also participated in a controversial and arguably dangerous police action in February, 2019 when it hovered very low off of the ground to throw up snow and scare off people who were ice skating on the frozen reflecting pool on the National Mall.

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2020 BLM Protests Incident

In April 2020, amid national outrage at the killing of George Floyd, substantial protests took place in Washington, DC. The president made of point of directing law enforcement and the military that he desired a substantial show of force in response. At one point, two DC National Guard helicopters performed a dangerous maneuver intended to disperse protesters, hovering at just roughly 50’ over the crowds and resulting in tremendous winds.

Security Breaches

1974 White House Incident

In maybe the weirdest helicopter incident in DC history, a disgruntled Army private stole a UH-1 Huey from a military airfield near Ft. Meade, MD. He flew it to a variety of locations in Maryland and DC, eventually hovering near the Lincoln and Washington Monuments and then hovered over the South Lawn of the White House. He subsequently flew elsewhere, pursued by other helicopters and police cars, but then returned to the White House with ‘plans to surrender to President Nixon’ (none of the first family was at the White House at the time). This second time he neared the South Lawn, the Secret Service opened fire on him, shooting roughly 300 bullets at the helicopter. The soldier was struck several times and lightly wounded and went ahead and landed the aircraft, whereupon he was arrested and taken to the hospital for care. The soldier was apparently disgruntled after being passed over for the role of helicopter pilot and wanted to illustrate his skills. He was court-martialed, served a brief term in prison, and received a general discharge.

2015 Gyrocopter Incident

Though a gyrocopter is not a helicopter, it seems to me to be close enough to warrant inclusion here. :) In 2015, a postal worker flew 70 miles from Maryland into Washington DC on a gyrocopter, landing on the west lawn of the US Capitol with 535 letters, one for each member of Congress. He sought to protest government dysfunction and both notified outlets of his plans and recorded and shared video of his entire flight. He was arrested and fired from the US Postal Service, and though many pointed out that it was a dangerous act of civil disobedience, others also noted it as another lapse in the security of the restriced airspace over the city.