Motorist says copter fell from sky
By Bo Petersen
A smoking helicopter veered suddenly and plunged toward the water. An alarmed motorist on the Interstate 526 bridge over the Wando River called 911.
A life and death drama was playing out for rush-hour traffic on Wednesday.
Police patrols and three Charleston Fire Department trucks and a battalion chief raced to see what was happening, said Mark Ruppel, public information officer.
Only a Charleston police officer driving on the bridge took it calmly. The helicopter, the officer realized, was only 2 feet long.
"He spotted it and realized it was a toy," said Charles Francis, police public information officer.
The officers spoke with two people below the bridge who were playing with the remote control aircraft.
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sardis12 (anonymous) says...
So police and fire fighters were dispatched when someone called 911 about a smoking helicopter crashing and couldn't tell it was only two feet long? Maybe "alarmed" motorist should be changed to "stupid" motorist...
August 20, 2009 at 1 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
MisWesaMoves (anonymous) says...
or maybe "alarmed" motorist was in fact a "drunk" motorist...oh and "stupid" too!
August 20, 2009 at 6:14 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
metallic (anonymous) says...
Or maybe the motorist was doing what he was supposed to be doing: Paying attention to his DRIVING.
Perhaps he only saw the "helicopter" as a glimpse through the corner of his eye.
Our "perspective" on the size of objects -- especially if they are only glimpsed momentarily -- when viewed over open water, can be easily skewed.
August 20, 2009 at 6:58 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
mb300sl (anonymous) says...
Embarrassing for the motorist...but it can be hard to misread the size of an object when you only get a short glimpse of it.
August 20, 2009 at 7:34 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jammanofdi (anonymous) says...
Even if you have get more than just a glimpse of it, unless you have something nearby to reference the size of it, it's impossible to tell how large, or how close it is. Watch nearly any video of RC planes on youtube and unless they're on the ground, you can't tell if it's real or RC - that's part of the enjoyment of flying those things. A 2' RC helicopter flying closeby looks just like a real helicopter flying off in the distance.
August 20, 2009 at 8:41 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jammanofdi (anonymous) says...
Ignore the first "have" in my comment. I've been up WAY to long already this morning...
August 20, 2009 at 8:42 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
GeneralSumter (anonymous) says...
So why didn't the PoPo contact Air Traffic Control first to see if a helicopter was even in flight at the approximate time of the call.... could've saved alot of tax dollars from running to a false alarm.
August 20, 2009 at 9:18 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
treasured (anonymous) says...
The person was probably scared when he saw the glimpse of the helicopter...real or not.I would have reacted in the same way.We have been hearing in the news constantly of small plane and helicopter crashes....Better safe than sorry.
GeneralSumper..What if it had been real and the police or emergency vehicles did not respond immediately, but took extra time calling and waiting on a report.They were doing their job.If it had been a real emergency and they had done what you expected, then they would have been reprimanded for that.I think our tax dollars are wasted in worse ways than this incidence.
August 20, 2009 at 11:32 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jammanofdi (anonymous) says...
Also, most helicopters operate VFR and therefore don't file a flight plan. If they don't file a plan and are operating fairly low, how is an ATC supposed to know they were flying in the first place? It's better for the person that saw that to just call the police and let them investigate it. I would imagine that whoever was flying the RC helo got exactly what they were intending to do - with scaring the people on the bridge into thinking they just witnessed a crash.
August 20, 2009 at 1:20 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
roo1213 (anonymous) says...
i am not convinced that you could mistake a 2ft remote control helicopter for a 20-30ft chopper spiraling out of control...did you hear a loud crash?? this puff of smoke you speak of, how big was it?? like campfire size or AN ACTUAL 20-30FT CHOPPER ON FIRE AND CRASHING?!?!?!?!?! i'm just sayin is all......
August 20, 2009 at 2:03 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
AnRCGuy (anonymous) says...
I think Mr. Peterson needs to research radio control aircraft a little better. They are not all "toys". If the helicopter was smoking, it was likely the exhaust from a glow engine. These high-powered machines often use high-strength carbon fiber or fiberglass blades and can be very dangerous in the wrong hands. They require a great amount of practice and skill to control. The most high-tech electric powered machines are just as powerful these days. 1-1/2 foot long electric helicopters can have main rotor speeds around 3500 RPM. This is nothing to "play" with.
August 23, 2009 at 8:31 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
BlackReign (anonymous) says...
danged if you do and danged if you dont.
August 23, 2009 at 8:51 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
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