Eric of IN
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Helicopter drops ammunition
By RALPH TOMLINSON
Daily Journal staff writer
rtomlinson@thejournalnet.com
May 4, 2000
Law enforcement officers and members of the military spent nearly 10 hours searching more than two square miles for ammunition that fell from a helicopter Wednesday morning.
Army officials said the lost ammunition, dropped near Interstate 65 and State Road 46, “posed no imminent threat to public safety.”
One of the Army’s most elite combat units, the 4th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment, came to Camp Atterbury, near Edinburgh, from Fort Campbell, Ky., to practice electronic warfare countermeasures, evading surface-to-air missiles and gunnery skills.
About 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, four UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters participating in night-training maneuvers were flying over a wooded area just north of Columbus.
Crewmembers in one of the helicopters were passing two belts of 7.62mm machine-gun ammunition when the chopper hit unexpected turbulence. The ammunition dropped from the open door of the helicopter.
Lt. Col. Michael McGowen said the ammunition was similar to .308-caliber rifle cartridges used by deer hunters, joined by a steel belt.
“You can go down to the local sporting goods store and buy the same thing, without the tracers,” he said.
“It’s no danger unless you put it in a wood stove or hit it with a hammer,” McGowen said.
However, he said, the loss of the ammunition was a very sensitive issue to the Army.
“That’s why we’re trying to recover it,” he said
Camp Atterbury officials were notified of the accident shortly after it occurred, and the military contacted the Indiana State Police for assistance.
Officers from the Department of Natural Resources, sheriff’s deputies and local police began searching the area.
Soldiers from the 101st were trucked in from Atterbury about 2 a.m. to assist. By 5 a.m. Wednes-day, 70 soldiers were involved in the search.
Atterbury officials said they believe the ammunition belts dropped into a swampy area near the search site. The attempt to locate the missing ammo ended just after noon Wednesday.
A press release from Atterbury stressed that the “loss of objects from aircraft is a rare mishap.”
Military officials are asking anyone who finds the lost ammunition to call the state police at (800) 658-8328 or (800) 872-6743.
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Formerly Puddle Pirate.
Teach a kid to shoot.
It annoys the antis.
By RALPH TOMLINSON
Daily Journal staff writer
rtomlinson@thejournalnet.com
May 4, 2000
Law enforcement officers and members of the military spent nearly 10 hours searching more than two square miles for ammunition that fell from a helicopter Wednesday morning.
Army officials said the lost ammunition, dropped near Interstate 65 and State Road 46, “posed no imminent threat to public safety.”
One of the Army’s most elite combat units, the 4th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment, came to Camp Atterbury, near Edinburgh, from Fort Campbell, Ky., to practice electronic warfare countermeasures, evading surface-to-air missiles and gunnery skills.
About 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, four UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters participating in night-training maneuvers were flying over a wooded area just north of Columbus.
Crewmembers in one of the helicopters were passing two belts of 7.62mm machine-gun ammunition when the chopper hit unexpected turbulence. The ammunition dropped from the open door of the helicopter.
Lt. Col. Michael McGowen said the ammunition was similar to .308-caliber rifle cartridges used by deer hunters, joined by a steel belt.
“You can go down to the local sporting goods store and buy the same thing, without the tracers,” he said.
“It’s no danger unless you put it in a wood stove or hit it with a hammer,” McGowen said.
However, he said, the loss of the ammunition was a very sensitive issue to the Army.
“That’s why we’re trying to recover it,” he said
Camp Atterbury officials were notified of the accident shortly after it occurred, and the military contacted the Indiana State Police for assistance.
Officers from the Department of Natural Resources, sheriff’s deputies and local police began searching the area.
Soldiers from the 101st were trucked in from Atterbury about 2 a.m. to assist. By 5 a.m. Wednes-day, 70 soldiers were involved in the search.
Atterbury officials said they believe the ammunition belts dropped into a swampy area near the search site. The attempt to locate the missing ammo ended just after noon Wednesday.
A press release from Atterbury stressed that the “loss of objects from aircraft is a rare mishap.”
Military officials are asking anyone who finds the lost ammunition to call the state police at (800) 658-8328 or (800) 872-6743.
------------------
Formerly Puddle Pirate.
Teach a kid to shoot.
It annoys the antis.
