Crew of helicopter that flew over protest GROUNDED.

[Liberal In Texas]

The Department of Defense said Friday it had grounded one of the National Guard helicopter pilots who performed low-flying maneuvers to disperse crowds of protesters in Washington, D.C., on Monday evening, according to multiple reports.

Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy told reporters that the helicopter crew was grounded pending results from an internal investigation, according to local CBS affiliate WUSA9. A Pentagon spokesman told the outlet that the move was standard procedure during such investigations.

The aircraft was one of two Army National Guard helicopters that hovered between 100 and 300 feet above the streets of the District on Monday night, according to an aircraft tracker. Gusts from their helicopter blades were aimed at dispersing crowds of protesters.

https://thehill.com/policy/defense/501469-national-guard-pilot-grounded-amid-probe-into-helicopter-flying-over-dc

Good. That was irresponsible. Hope the pilot loses his license. He should have refused an illegal order.

[gratuitous]

1. "He should have refused an illegal order"

Last edited Mon Jun 8, 2020, 05:30 PM - Edit history (1)

Raises all kinds of questions for me: Was there an order? Is it just the helicopter crew that's grounded? Is the person or persons who gave them the order under some kind of discipline as well? Was the crew just free-lancing in terrorizing the demonstrators below?

I'm glad there's an investigation going on; I'll reserve judgment about its thoroughness until we see the results.

[Liberal In Texas]

2. Good questions. n/t

[2naSalit]

7. I agree about the investigations.

There should be some serious reckoning here. But on another point, could it be that in a crisis like one that could happen at some point, I think they'll be on the side of the nation and the Constitution when it comes down to it. Now that they know how low these assholes will go, they know where the whole thing will be headed.

[elleng]

18. Right. Would be good if we could trust investigations, these days.

[NY06DemSoc]

20. "I was just following orders."

Hasn't been a defense since 1945.

[calimary]

26. Welcome to DU, NY06DemSoc!

Your point is VERY well-made and well-taken.

Hopefully the investigation will go up the food chain.

[Fla Dem]

25. Glad the investigation is ongoing as well. Need to know the chain of command

and who in that chain gave the order. There had to be others that should have stepped forward and stopped this action before the crew. But, ya let's blame it all on the guys on the lowest rung of the ladder.

[Crowman2009]

30. The higher the rank, the larger percentage of right-wing dingbats.

That's coming from my experience in the military.

[obamanut2012]

3. It was also a marked medical chopper

Which is kinda against International Law,

[2naSalit]

4. +1

[MurrayDelph]

37. And gives "the bad guy" an excuse

the next time one gets shot down in a war zone.

[Renew Deal]

5. Who gave the order?

[KS Toronado]

9. Hope it was Barr

[jaxexpat]

24. He was quick to deny military envolvement yesterday. Oh, the lies of our own eyes.

That gives him a whole day to make up another lie to cover this too.

He's not really very smart but is good at obfuscation. Makes him seem fox like. A freaking psychotic fox.

[democrank]

6. Good!

[bullwinkle428]

8. These fuckers put countless lives at risk in the hope of a

shout-out from Hair Furor.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

12. I believe any competent helicopter pilot would agree.

Not an expert but according to some crash reviews I've seen, helicopters fly under very strict aviation rules and those are particularly tight at night.

A crash into that crowd would have been a major disaster considering the fuel load those things carry.....

[bucolic_frolic]

10. Hard to believe they were Going Rogue

because they would know there would be consequences.

[rocktivity]

11. I had a feeling that President Twitter Tantrum really crossed the line

when he plugged into his commander-in-chump groove.

Glad to hear it was an illegal order. But the only thing that needs to be investigated is who gave it.


rocktivity

[IronLionZion]

13. High ranking pentagon officials ordered it

The New York Times reported Saturday that top Pentagon officials ordered the Guard pilots to perform the low-flying maneuver called "persistent presence." The paper said McCarthy was one of the officials who authorized a portion of the planning for the helicopters' operations on Monday.

Now let's find out who and hold them accountable. The buck doesn't stop with the pilot.

[Poiuyt]

14. Doesn't the FAA have rules against this sort of thing

or are helicopters exempt?

[SunSeeker]

19. It was an Army medevac chopper with a red cross, which made it even more illegal.

“Misuse of the red cross symbol is prohibited even during peacetime by the First Geneva Convention, to which the U.S. is a party,” said Rachel E. VanLandingham, a former Air Force attorney and professor at the Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles.

The use of the helicopter also may violate Army regulations, Corn said, including domestic operations that outline the use of medical resources for “the evacuation of patients, movement of medical supplies and personnel, and support of search and rescue activities.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2020/06/02/helicopter-protest-dc/


Tammy Duckworth said it also violated rules against flying low over civilians. She should know, she flew choppers in the military.

[Crowman2009]

28. +1

[fierywoman]

15. The person who gave the order should lose (his) job and be stripped of all benefits (retirement, etc

[Snake Plissken]

16. Going from piloting helicopters to driving for Uber to troll the libs

[Hekate]

17. KnR. Take it all the way to the top.

[Aviation Pro]

21. Oh, this Warrant is fucked

Especially if he’s flying commercially for his full time job.

[CaptainTruth]

22. Nothing special about grounding, that's standard military procedure.

Any time an investigation is started into the actions of an air crew, the crew is automatically grounded, pending the outcome of the investigation.

[BlueIdaho]

23. Pull his license.

No more flying for this clown. While you are at it - remove him from all medic duties. Hand him a rifle and turn him into a grunt.

[Kaleva]

34. Does a military pilot need a license?

[BlueIdaho]

36. Hmmm...

Good question! The only Army helicopter pilot I knew had to take all sorts of tests to remain on the flight roster. So there may not be a license - but there is rigorous oversight. Even if this stunt was due to a direct order. That order was likely illegal as was this action. I’m guessing that’s not a great way to stay in the rotation.

[Ilsa]

38. I'm guessing the pilot also logs his

time flying to improve his chances of working as a pilot after military life.

[Crowman2009]

27. And to make matters worse, it was a medevac helicopter.

Blasting rotor-wash on protesters pretty sure as hell defeats the purpose.

[SunSeeker]

32. One chopper sprayed people with glass from windows it blew out.

One helicopter buzzed protesters from a height nearly level with three- and four-story buildings in the Chinatown area, ripping tree limbs away. Rotor wash hurled glass from broken windows like shrapnel. Protesters and a few remaining journalists scattered to the sides of the street to seek shelter beneath awnings, or went sprinting away, shouting “I can’t hear!” and “I can’t see!”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2020/06/02/helicopter-protest-dc/

[lame54]

31. I hope he rolls on who gave the orders

[SunSeeker]

33. We already know Bunker Boy ordered it.

According to Newsweek reporter James LaPorta, President Donald Trump ordered the overflights. LaPorta also revealed the U.S. military had given the operation a name: Themis—the Titan goddess of divine law and order.

https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/aviation/a32745440/military-helicopters-washington-dc-protests/

Link to tweet

[Cha]

35. KR!