Helicopter theft

[TheFlyingSquirrel]

To anyone's knowledge, has there ever been a helicopter stolen, flown away, and not recovered in the UK?

TFS

[boomerangben]

While I was doing my ppl, the police came into the flying school investigating the theft of a Jet Ranger, but I know no more. It was in the NW of England about 8 years ago.

[RobboRider]

Don't know if it happened in UK or Oz before but it will never happen in Oz now. In OZ it is now law that extra locking devices have to be fitted to prevent theft by terrorists. :p

The normal door and ignition locks aren't enough. If you don't have an extra approved device you are allowed to lock it to an immovable object with a chain and lock.

All the approved devices I have seen could be bypassed by a ten tear old with a $5 set of bolt cutters from the local discount shop. But I sure I feel much safer now that my R22 isn't going to be stolen by terrorists, loaded with huge amounts of fuel or bombs and flown into the nearest skyscraper. (They need to organise refuelling on their way to the skyscraper - it's only two days flying away! :sad:

[Genghis the Engineer]

Not a helicopter, but a FW was stolen from the airfield I operate from a few years ago. It turned up 6 weeks later in a field in France, Police assumed that it was running drugs, but never caught anybody.

G

[Jez]

RobboRider

Which law are u referring to?

Part of the CAR's or CAO's?

:confused:

[Another St Ivian]

Genghis;
What was the aircraft condition like? Had it been torched or simply landed and abandoned?

ASI

[helicopter-redeye]

Luckily most thieving toerags cannot fly rotary.

There was an incident at Sheffield about three years ago where a TT got into the fenced enclaves of the manouevering area after hours, opened up a R22, started it and 'span it around a bit' (according to the local paper).

I think it was just 'on the ground' rather than in the air. Probably thought the collective was a handbrake for the turns ....



And to the original question, long may a 'nil return' remain the answer .

[Jed A1]

Interesting question.

I know of several helicopters that have been "stolen" in the UK. Mainly due to disputes between owners, part owners, finance companies, banks etc. etc. However, in all the cases I know of the machines were eventually recovered.

I know of one machine that was “lent” to a good friend of the owners for a couple of days. Over a year later it was found in a barn a good distance from it’s original home. God knows how many hours were put on it. Obviously the friendship was reviewed. The borrower is now I believe holidaying at Her Majesty’s pleasure due to an importation disagreement with Customs and Excise.

Another machine I know was regularly flown by a person claiming to be part owner of it. It was always put back in the same place and refuelled but the real, full owner, was completely unaware of what was happening. I know this is not technically theft but definitely not on the right side of the law.

Another machine was refinanced by a potential owner, without the real owners consent. Potential owner disappeared with best part of 300k. The finance company came to repossess the machine. Shall we say the legitimate owner was a little surprised to find somebody hauling his machine away.

Be wary of who you deal with. There are a lot of crooks in this business.

You'd be surprised at how uninterested the authorities (especially the CAA) are in such cases. The Police do peruse as far as they can but I feel its seen as a case of rich people falling out over their toys.

[helicopter-redeye]

Why is it that taking a battered old motacar and driving it round for a bit with no intent to keep it forever is against the law (TWOC) and with a specific definition within the Theft Act, whereas doing the same thing with a potential weapon of mass destruction (a helicopter) has no similiar offence?

The law, clearly, is a half bred donkey ...

h-r:)

[STANDTO]

it is the same - it is a conveyance

[ThomasTheTankEngine]

Some time back I met a celeb who flys heli's I had to fly some people to his house.

He told me he was at a hotel and he saw a Jetranger land and recognised it as being from the school where he trained, So when the pilot left as a joke he started it up and flew it home (He lived nearby)

I would have loved to have saw the pilots face when he returned.

:oh: :mad: :confused: :mad: :{ :eek:

I wont say who it was so please dont ask.

[morris1]

I it is the same - it is a conveyance

Indeed... The theft act 1968 sec(12,7) states that "conveyance" will mean any conveyance for carraige of persons by land, water, or air.
However a Horse is not a conveyance under the act.

Theft (or TWOC for that matter) of a horse is of course against the Horse Russling act of 1864 and punishable by a "good 'ole whoopin" and a trip, feet first to boot hill...!

[rotornut]

Here in Toronto a Hughes 500C was stolen from a downtown heliport next to the harbour back in the seventies. The thief was a young man who had never flown a chopper before but reckoned he knew how to do it from reading about it (at least that's the theory). Anyway, he lifted off and got over the water but lost control. Unfortunately he was killed.

[Genghis the Engineer]

Genghis;
What was the aircraft condition like? Had it been torched or simply landed and abandoned?

ASI

Basically sound, but every indication was that they'd flown the pants off it for six weeks without doing a stitch of maintenance - it had become very scruffy very quickly. Despite doing an annual standard service before it was flown again, the owner had an engine failure a few weeks after he got it back, and after an engine rebuild just sold it at quite a big loss.

It had also been derigged at some point - you could tell because they'd refitted some of the wing pins the wrong way around.

G

[helicopter-redeye]

Are you sure (Morris1 and Standto)? There appear to be a wide range of references to motor cars and very little to 'elicopters (or other forms of conveyance).

Twoc
Definition: [Verb] -- Joyride. To twoc in police, legal and criminal slang means to joyride, to steal a car.

Derivation: Acronym of "Take Without Owners Consent" the technical term for joyriding as defined in Theft Act 1968 §12. This terminology was devised because "joyriding" does not constitute theft within the meaning of the Theft Act, there being no "intention permanently to deprive...".


And is there a need to prove loss or damge as a result of the act (and what would be considered proof in this context). Discuss.

[morris1]

Believe me, I'm sure..

Dont confuse the dictionary definition with the actual legislation. The paragraph I gave stating what a conveyance is, comes verbatim from the act. It is indeed section 17(7) of the Theft Act 1968.

The legislation itself was indeed brought about by the "loophole" with joyriders having no provable 'intent to permantly deprive'... The legislation makes no mention of "Motor car" whatsoever.

Conveyance is defined by this section and as such includes all vehicles, vessels, aircaft, hovercraft, invalid carraiges etc etc however bicycles are covered by different legislation..

There is no need to prove damage or loss, simply that the Conveyance was "taken", plus of course the requisite lack of consent from the owner !
The taking will amount to any movement, no matter how small, powered or otherwise (however the intent must be to use it AS a conveyance)

If damage was caused to said conveyance then the offence is AGGRAVATED TWOC..

Its a fairly sizeable piece of legislation and too big to deal with on a notice board

However if you still dont believe me, the incident at Sheffield resulted in the offender being arrested, charged and convicted of ........ yes TWOC
full story here
http://www.sheffieldtoday.net/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=58&ArticleID=291981

[John Eacott]

Over the years there have been a couple of attempts at helicopter theft down here, but as RobboRider said, we are now obliged under the Aviation Transport Safety Act 2004 to secure any aircraft outside a secure hangar. Absolute PITA, since the office at DOTARS didn't actually think about helicopters when they drafted the regulations :rolleyes:

Whilst (probably) well meaning, the catch all decrees such as "manufacturer's door locks are not considered sufficient", and " the anti theft device must be plainly visible from outside the aircraft", are not helicopter friendly, especially with sunscreens in place in high temperatures!

Plenty of info available at Department of Transport and Regional Services. (http://www.dotars.gov.au/explore.aspx?facet=Transport)

And slightly OT, a horse is a vehicle/conveyance under our State Laws: witness the guy who was booked for using a mobile phone whilst driving a horse last year in Melbourne :rolleyes: :yuk:

[Ascend Charlie]

Some years back, the electricity commission's B206 was left overnight in a locked compound in a regional city. Some young yobboes broke into the compound, opened the machine, took out the flight manual, and reading from the checklist, got the engine started.

The checklist was followed up to the bit about taking off. The machine hopped and bucked a bit, one yobbo elected to jump out, and was neatly sliced up by the flailing chopper, which beat itself and the yob to death. The culprit was caught the next day.

Then there was the infamous hijacking of the B47 to break a prisoner out of Silverwater gaol, but technically that might not have been theft, and it certainly wasn't a joyride for the pilot.

[helicopter-redeye]

Thank you morris1, that clarrifies the point for the purposes required.

[delta3]

I could be wrong, but as far as my memory goes the AS350 that took the prisonners out of the high security prison near Aix, was stolen at Marignane, and found shortely after (transfer to car and left heli behind).


Delta3

[Flying Lawyer]

The first and (so far) only prison escape by helicopter in the UK was in December 1987. A B206 (I think) was stolen and used to spring two prisoners from Gartree, then a maximum security prison.

I have a vague recollection that it was hijacked.
Anyone remember?

I hadn't discovered the joys of helicopters in those days. My only interest was that I represented a co-defendant of one of the prisoners.

[Banjo]

FL is right in that it was 1987 and I believe the aircraft may have been a longranger.

Crazy thing is that one of the people involved later sued for injuries received during another jail break attempt and won £2500. How the world has gone mad.

Story here
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1198553.stm

[LiveForTheDay]

A Merlin helicopter landed on the docks at Southampton opposite my flat this morning.

Couldn't get to the camera quick enough to take some in flight shots (the pilot came in like a rocket and landed well quick).

Getting to the point of the thread, within 15 minutes the helicopter had been surrounded by containers to make a wall and extra security has definitely been laid on, presumably to stop souvenir hunters.

Pictures here:

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y148/LiveForTheDay/DSCN0544.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y148/LiveForTheDay/DSCN0538.jpg

As an aside, they stripped the helicopter really quickly and I will be interested to see how it is shipped as it is still much too large for a container.

[RobboRider]

John Eacott

I was told a couple of weeks ago the rule about the locking system being plainly visible from the outside was being or had been recinded.

I haven't seen it in writing myself but might be worth a check around. It is a real pain cos I would actually like to use my bubble cover but it seems in CASA's eyes bubble covers are now illegal. :rolleyes:

[John Eacott]

RR,

We (and other Melbourne operators) have laminated a sign to put in the window, regardless of whether the covers are on or off. That would meet the technicality of the law, inasmuch as the deterrent is plainly visible :rolleyes: ;)

Re using helicopters for gaol breaks: when I joined VicPol, I had a 9am start; by 9:30 I was sworn in, and at 13:00 was inside our local high security nick to advise on the feasibility of getting a B206 in and out, in order to prove a conspiracy charge.

Two days later Dave Anderson flew a JetRanger with the doors off, and was in and out in less than 40 seconds, picking up 3 Sons of God from the exercise yard (IIRC). The Governor was duly advised on how to deter future helicopter visits, as were other prisons. To this day, no prison has bothered to string wires across open spaces. In fact, our local women's prison even has a helipad inside the facility :confused: :eek: :rolleyes:

[ShyTorque]

John,

"The Governor was duly advised on how to deter future helicopter visits, as were other prisons. To this day, no prison has bothered to string wires across open spaces."

In UK they have got this all covered these days. They put red circles on the chart; that is apparently sufficient to prevent helicopters from landing.

Just like the exclusion zones recently put over London, which prevent terrorists from overflying.

Was it your good self who fooled 'em? ;)

[Flying Pencil]

The UK prison break was a hijack. The pilot was Ian Evans, pretty sure it was a Long Ranger. Just about remember seeing it on Crimewatch! Showing my age.

[RobboRider]

ShyTorque

We have a prison here near Mareeba (maximum Security and all the wires and fences etc). It does not even appear on our maps at all. The VTC has never been upgraded even though the prison has been there for more than a decade. I have flown past it quite a few times (sometimes fairly close as it is in a small valley with limits on avoiding it) and I have always been a bit wary that someone inside might think I'm part of a breakout attempt and shoot at me.:sad: