Rio police helicopter shot down by drug dealers

[Senior Pilot]

This (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/southamerica/brazil/6360717/Rio-de-Janeiro-drug-traffickers-shoot-down-police-helicopter.html) is just being reported from Brazil :eek:


Rio de Janeiro drug traffickers shoot down police helicopter
Two Brazilian policemen were killed on Saturday after their helicopter came under fire from suspected traffickers in a Rio slum.


By Andrew Downie in Sao Paolo and Colin Freeman
Published: 7:35PM BST 17 Oct 2009

The aircraft made a forced landing in the Morro dos Mocacos favela after the pilot was shot in the leg, but then burst into flames with two officers trapped inside. Two others, including the pilot, managed to escape. A fierce gunbattle then erupted as more than 100 policemen, backed by armoured vehicles and special forces, rushed into the area to regain control.

The helicopter had originally been responding to a turf war between rival drug gangs that erupted in the neighbourhood shortly before dawn.

At least seven other people were reported killed during the violence - four of them found dead in a car - and eight more were wounded as trouble spread, according to Brazilian news reports. Some of the bullets from the shootouts hit a nearby school, causing a short circuit that turned into a blaze. Police struggled to contain the unrest and stop it spreading to more upmarket areas frequented by tourists.

Local businesses near to the favelas closed their doors and bus companies ordered their vehicles off the streets after angry residents ordered passengers from at least 10 buses and then torched them with Molotov cocktails.

At the entrance to at least one favela, residents manning barricades of burning tyres attacked police cars. The violence began in the early hours of Saturday morning after traffickers from the Morro do São João favela invaded the Morro dos Macacos favela in a bid to seize control of the drug business there.

Rio has more than 1,000 shantytowns, most of which are controlled by one of three organised crime gangs. The violence was the worst in Rio de Janeiro for several years. Similar disturbances effectively closed down the city for several days in 2002 and 2007. More than 6000 people are killed every year in the state of Rio de Janeiro, 1000 of them by police.

The incident comes just weeks after the city was awarded the 2016 summer Olympics.
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01504/rio_helicopter_2_1504317c.jpg

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01504/rio_helicopter_1_1504318c.jpg

[SilsoeSid]

I appreciate it is in the open news etc, but in light of recent events, is it really a sensible thing to bring this action to the attention of the numb nuts that may be reading this site?

[Senior Pilot]

SS,

I thought that Rotorheads is for helicopter pilots, who read this site? ;)

Whilst I understand what you're saying (I think), the last thing that we should be expecting on our site is to stop posting and debating helicopter news because some scrote may read here what is on the front page of the daily paper :confused:

[SilsoeSid]

Well IMHO for what it's worth,

Scrotey Boy would probably see a picture of a wreckage on fire on the front page of the paper and assume it was Pakistan/Afghanistan or another NI incident.

Because it is on here, as are all the posts about the recent events, it is directly saying to them, this is what you could try next!

I thought that Rotorheads is for helicopter pilots, who read this site? ;)

Whilst I understand what you're saying (I think), the last thing that we should be expecting on our site is to stop posting and debating helicopter news because some scrote may read here what is on the front page of the daily paper :confused:

Are we blinkered enough to think that they don't monitor the results of their past works on this site and others? Much like the arsonist at a building fire shows up to see the reaction to his/her action! :ugh:

[SilsoeSid]

Svenstron;

Did you miss the bit but in light of recent events

Clearly if you were one of the Scrotes, we would be safe. :p

Here is some background reading!

It started a while ago, but more recently, this... (http://www.pprune.org/rotorheads/373903-british-police-helicopter-attacked-ground.html#post4925725)
which possibly led to this... (http://www.pprune.org/rotorheads/376899-another-attack-police-helicopter.html#post4982409)
..and then, as if in a copy cat kind of way, this! (http://www.pprune.org/military-aircrew/391911-raf-woodvale-broken-into.html#post5244901)

Not from round these parts Sven...are you?

[SASless]

Silsoe,

Are you suggesting they might copy "Shanty Towns", form into three rival gangs, take up gang wars with automatic weapons....or what?

Lord knows they watch the Tele and see all sorts of crime shows as it is....should those be banned in your view?

The UK is a "Progressive State" what with all the PC, immigration, and defiance of law and order that promotes.....far be it for pprune to be a source of criminal intelligence that has a more effective influence upon the conduct of your criminal element than all the other factors at play.

Perhaps, you might go down the Pub for a while and see if your Mates think as you do!

[SilsoeSid]

Whatever.

Guess that's why a lot of crimes are called "copy cat", as those with fluff between their ears tend to do! :rolleyes:

The 'Copy Cat' principle is clearly shown here, as SASless hasn't noticed that it was Sven who wrongly linked any comments I made, to the Rio crime fraternity.
Some would call it jumping on the band wagon, however those that usually make that jump, read the thread a bit first! :ugh:

Meoww!
Which of you is playing Tom tonight?
;)

[Ned-Air2Air]

Just watching CNN before and they had TV footage of the AS350 heading earthwards. Interesting though is that it was on fire on the way down, BUT the fire was coming from underneath the area of where the tail boom attaches to the main fuselage.

Any comments from anyone on why this could be burning from there.

Ned

[mfriskel]

Holes in fuel tank, tracer or incindiary bullets. I guess some of the movies you see got the flames right after all.

[Heli-phile]

Looks bad, Pilot did well to get the thing down, although it appears the machine may have rolled. - Not sure how long the T/R servo would function so close to the source of the fire, this could be a factor!!

Maybe EC will start providing a self sealing fuel tank option along with kevlar seats for operating civilian machines in essentially war zones!!

respect to the officers trying to deal with these drug running scumbags!!

Rio is one f****ed up place!!

[John Eacott]

I appreciate it is in the open news etc, but in light of recent events, is it really a sensible thing to bring this action to the attention of the numb nuts that may be reading this site?

As I watch the news here in Melbourne, with graphic footage of the burning Squirrel on its way down, I must confess I can't see the point that you're trying to make?

Apart from that, what a dreadful thing to happen :(

We had our Polair hit at night by Julian Knight during the Hoddle Street siege many years ago, it was only good luck that the round hit the UC leg and was deflected into the fuel tank. Later analysis showed that it was spot on to hit the pilot had it not been deflected :eek:

[Just a spotter]

12 dead in Rio drug violence - Drugs : news, world | euronews (http://www.euronews.net/2009/10/18/12-dead-in-rio-drug-violence/)

JAS

[SilsoeSid]

Sven seems to have been confused with my post of,

“Are we blinkered enough to think that they don't monitor the results of their past works on this site and others?”

With 3 different police helicopters attacked in this country (UK) in the last few months, one of which was destroyed, I think it reasonable to assume that some UK scrotey boys are watching this site, and others like it, to see the reaction that there is to their work. (their work as in the UK scrotes' work that attacked and destroyed the 3 UK helicopters recently)

So far the modus operandi have been the same, each appear to have gone further than the last, with the most recent caught in the act and perhaps prevented from going a lot further.

My worry is that these scrotes will be looking at the next step and Senior Pilot has highlighted to them yet another, now proven in real life, method of taking out a helicopter.

Yes I haven't helped things, by continuing this thread and keeping it at the top of the list and Yes there have been helicopters shot at and downed on TV, probably since the 50's, but that is TV, or at least was.

Now it has been highlighted as a real, possible and not so difficult way of downing a helicopter, outside of a war zone, if a UK Police helicopter comes under attack from small arms fire in the coming few months, will you accept that it may be more than just coincidence!

End of.
Fly safe!
:ok:


If I may end by quoting Senior Pilot;
I thought that Rotorheads is for helicopter pilots, who read this site? :ok:

[Nubian]

SS,

If you think that there will be more attacks on helicopters because of postings on THIS site, I'm affraid your world is a bit small. There are quite a number of news-sites that keep the general public more up to date than pprune does... when it comes to actual news and teories/information. Not too mention other sources of imagination, like Hollywood etc.

Not too long ago, there was the robbery in Sweden. The media told everybody how the robbers got acess to the helicopter used, and how they disabled the police-helicopters (even without making any damage) Can you link that event to previous post made here perhaps??

How many hardcore criminals do you think have NOT been thinking about shooting down helicopters until now?

Criminals are smarter than you seem to think they are, they don't need pprune to give them the ideas

cheers

[GeorgeMandes]

There is a link on Drudge Report this morning:

Reuters AlertNet - Helicopter downed in Rio violence; two police dead (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N17300925.htm)

[SilsoeSid]

Thanks for your cheers Nubian,

Not soley from this site, what I am saying is that although it will be covered in the media, sites like this, as I said before, give a lot more information than you seem to appreciate!


Anyway, some days we are told by the mods to be careful what we post, on others it seems the 'rules of engagement' are open.

Whaat...evaaa!

[iainms]

They are out there, watching us:suspect:.....................

[handbag]

another thread decimated by pilots with just too much time on their hands. Civil heli gets shot down. That's news guys.

[AgustaPilot]

Gentlemen, let's all just calm down, this jeuvenile exchange isn't paiting the best picture of our industry, everyone is entitled to their view that's the wonderful thing about our coutnry but let's not degrade ourselves by entering into a tit for tat petty argument, sounds like the playground here.

[SASless]

I thought there were no guns in the UK anymore?

[Pandalet]

There aren't. Oh, apart from all those nasty criminals, who don't obey the law anyway...

[mickjoebill]

Ok, if you are flying in a hot zone and given a kevlar vest would you sit on it or wear it?

Also, these vests are usually in two pieces, so it is possible to separate them so you could sit on the front and wear the back.:ok:


If your benevolent, caring employer provided a few square meters of Dyneema plate (18kg per square meter) where would you have it installed?
Around the fuel tank?
or
in the belly panels?


Mickjoebill

[Whirlygig]

Only hand guns are illegal; shotguns and rifles are allowed with licence.

If the average UK arsonist-scrote googles for his handiwork, he has to wait until page 2 before he gets to pprune - not sure they have that attention span.:}

Police helicopter attack (http://tinyurl.com/ygevvgb)

Silsoe Sid, I can see your point but is it reasonable that we should have our freedom to discuss an event curtailed because there is the distinctly remote possibility that a small faction of criminals could read it? That's starting to sound a bit nanny-state. :oh:

Cheers

Whirls

[SASless]

MJB,

I would think the most critical spot on the aircraft.....around my dangly bits!

There is no way to fully armour a light helicopter and get it off the ground....one can add some armour but then must trust in Providence or whatever protection those who are not believers believe in.

[500e]

Dont worry Sid all in to days Independent pics & all :ok:

[SilsoeSid]

I can see your point but is it reasonable that we should have our freedom to discuss an event curtailed because there is the distinctly remote possibility that a small faction of criminals could read it? That's starting to sound a bit nanny-state.


I suppose you are right Whirlygig.

In much the same way that here on Pprune we don't seem to be able to link things like threads requesting sites for online flight manuals and recent attempts at stealing helicopters!
:suspect:


500e, do scrotes read the Indy?
:p

[Whirlygig]

Sidney, you can't really put your hand on your heart and look me in the eye and state that you believe the cause and effect of publishing online manuals has a direct influence on the increase (is there really or just one but it's recent and therefore in our minds?) on helicopter theft?

That's taking Birkhoff's Chaos Theory to extremes :}

Cheers

Whirls

[John Eacott]

In much the same way that here on PPRuNe we don't seem to be able to link things like threads requesting sites for online flight manuals and recent attempts at stealing helicopters!

????

Sid, there's a long thread on the same page as this (at the moment) with links to online flight manuals: where have you been prevented from contributing? Don't forget that many manufacturers are jealous of their pricing structure for hard copy manuals, and make quite an effort to restrict online availability, so it may not be PPRuNe that is the culprit. I saw that eivissa's lists recently dropped Eurocopter products......

And the thread about stealing helicopters was still there when I looked, with contributions from you.....

Just an observation from afar ;)

[Brian Abraham]

According to the guys who fly there, finding holes in the post flight is par for the course. These poor chaps had to be real unlucky to have an inflight fire such as this. RIP

[iainms]

Bullet holes in your heli ? 109 over Booker ? 2007 ?

[PANews]

With a lot of luck and a bit of application the problem will go away.

There was no big splurge of attacks when the Met retreated to Lippitts Hill when their Enstrom 28 was attacked at Elstree thirty years ago, neither when the Merseyside AS355 [G-BOOV] was attacked at Liverpool a decade ago. Pilots landing damaged helicopters under fire in Rio - nothing new... just this time the bullet appears to have disabled the pilot [and potentially started a fire] with worse results than usual.

In recent years numerous helicopters have been under gun fire in the USA, and pilots wounded, but the numbers brought down catestophically have been nil...

Altitude seems a common factor in safety.

For the UK scene in particular 'Risk assessment' seems a good term to apply in this case.... now the warnings are there ... as yet no-one has attacked a machine tucked away securely within a building. It could be said that Google Earth poses a greater threat than Pprune.... two of the attacked machines feature there even if the images are a bit ancient. The start was a local argument in Surrey... the newspapers [not Pprune] appear to have done the rest as far as putting the germ of an idea in criminal heads.

That aside, blaming the media, pprune, Google Earth and everyone else in the vicinity may not actually tackle the short term problem.

[topendtorque]

I only know of two stolen helicopters in OZ, one in Port Headland or some other god forsaken joint over there in sandgroper country and one, more recently, which gathered quite some currency here on pprune and elswhere in these circles.

The first was in the early seventies, a '47, just slightly b4 PC's and other aids that may have helped the illicit spreading of this terrible flight manual proaganda.

It was stolen by a non national who had about two hours instructional time from his father country and made it as far as the nearest hanger roof, wherein he left one skid. The rest rolled up a few yards further on the other side of the shed.
The second, I don't think needed any of said propaganda for said pilot to discover and utilse his dexterity, and if there were others then I am happy to be corrected.

I have used the flight manual forum recently and sincerely thank the organiser of it to compare known types with lesser known types. I really think that if salesmen want to do some selling then the back of the next passing truck would be very good place for the next shovel full of really good propaganda to help advertise your wares.

Sitting by a telephone and awaiting a client is the best dead brain disease to afflict potent sales techniques that I know of.
Once again, thankyou
tet