1974 White House helicopter incident
Private Robert K. Preston enlisted in the Army to become a helicopter pilot. On February 17, 1974, shortly after midnight, he took off in a stolen Bell UH-1B Iroquois helicopter from Tipton Field, Maryland, and landed it on the South Lawn of the White House. The Secret Service opened fire on Preston after he landed the helicopter on White House grounds. Preston was sentenced to one year in prison and a fine of US$2,400. He received a general discharge from the army, then lived a quiet life, married, and died of cancer in 2009.
About 1974 White House helicopter incident in brief
Private Robert K. Preston enlisted in the Army to become a helicopter pilot. He did not graduate from the helicopter training course and lost his opportunity to attain the rank of warrant officer pilot. Preston believed that this situation was unfair and later said that he stole the helicopter to show his skill as a pilot. On February 17, 1974, shortly after midnight, he took off in a stolen Bell UH-1B Iroquois helicopter from Tipton Field, Maryland, and landed it on the South Lawn of the White House. He was sentenced to one year in prison and a fine of US$2,400. Preston received a general discharge from the army, then lived a quiet life, married, and died of cancer in 2009. The Secret Service opened fire on Preston after he landed the helicopter on White House grounds. Preston was lightly wounded, and was arrested and held in custody. At the time of the incident, he was 20 years old, with a rank of private first class; he was described by his commanding officer as a “regular, quiet individual” with above-average intelligence.
Preston spent 5–6 minutes hovering a couple of feet above the Washington Monument’s grounds. He then decided to visit Washington, D. C., 20 miles by following the lights of the Baltimore–Washington Parkway. Preston’s helicopter was first discovered when he was spotted hovering between the United States Flight over the Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial. He went on to follow the Secret Service to the Capitol, and went to Pennsylvania Avenue to follow them to the White house. At this time, aerial aerial fire at the time was strictly prohibited, but this was not enforced in any significant way until after the September 11 attacks on September 11, 2001. Preston later recalled that “I wanted to get up and fly and get behind the controls. It would make me feel better because I love flying”. He parked his car at the unguarded airfield, climbed into one of the helicopters, serial number 62–1920, and started preflight checks.
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This page is based on the article 1974 White House helicopter incident published in Wikipedia (as of Nov. 04, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
