Only in Calif: Kawasaki helo takes bullet on landing

The FAA is reporting that a Kawasaki Vertol KV107 helicopter
(built by Kawasaki under license from Boeing) was fired upon as
it landed in the vicinity of Twain Harte, a California city in the central
Sierra Nevada mountains, on September 15. The helo was being
used in a logging operation by Oregon-based, Columbia Helicopters.

According to the FAA report, N192CH "during a logging operation,
was shot at; on landing, a bullet was discovered near the center
of the tail section."

A spokesman for Columbia tells me that the incident occurred on the first day
of hunting season in the area. Pilots, after hearing the impact and being radioed
by the ground crew that they had heard shooting, decided to land. The bullet traveled
completely through the tail, so no evidence is available as to what kind of gun
it came from. "We've never had this situation before," says the spokesman. He suggests the pop-shot was probably a mistake and not the effort of anti-logging activists.

If that's the case, the hunter involved may want to see his or her eye doctor.

(Photo, of N192CH in happier times, is courtesy of Columbia Helicopters)