Posted on Feb 17, 2018
Disgruntled soldier buzzes White House in stolen helicopter - 2/17/1974
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This Soldier Took A Joy Ride To The White House In A Stolen Helo
By STEPHEN CARLSON
In 1974, Robert K. Preston, 20, landed a helicopter on the White House South Lawn after being shot at by federal officers on his second pass over the executive mansion.
When Iraq War veteran Omar Gonzalez jumped the fence of the White House on Sunday, Sept. 19, and rushed the building, the Secret Service reported that he was stopped at the door. But on Monday, the Washington Post revealed that he actually made it well into the East Wing before being overpowered by Secret Service agents.
As brazen as the incident was, raising concerns about White House security, it pales before the spectacle of an Army private landing a stolen helicopter on the White House lawn amid a hail of gunfire over 40 years ago.
A little past midnight on Feb. 17, 1974, Pfc. Robert K. Preston stole an unarmed UH-1 Iroquois, better known as the “Huey,” from Tipton airfield in Fort Meade, Maryland. Twenty-year-old Preston, who had a private fixed-wing pilot’s license, had washed out of the Army’s helicopter pilot school the previous year.
After buzzing drivers on the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, he reached the White House and briefly touched down, with the Secret Service initially not firing on him. After he took off from the lawn, the arrival of two Maryland State police choppers led to an aerial chase.
He was “one hell of a pilot,” a Maryland state police later said.
Preston briefly hovered near the Washington Monument, at one point nearly colliding with it while under fire from the state police. He then returned to the White House and hovered 100 meters away on the South Lawn, coming under a fusillade of shotgun and submachine gun fire.
Slightly wounded by buckshot, he set the Huey down and after a short foot chase, was tackled by the Secret Service. President Richard Nixon, who was deeply embroiled in the Watergate scandal, was not in the White House at the time.
At his court martial, Preston admitted stealing the chopper, saying that the Army had unjustly extended his term of enlistment after he had failed flight school.
Despite an escapade that would have any sergeant major suffering a rage-induced stroke, Preston got off relatively light. After serving six months in a military stockade, he was released with a general discharge for unsuitability.
The event is believed to have inspired failed presidential assassin Samuel Byck, who tried to hijack a commercial airliner less than a week later in order to crash it into the White House and kill Nixon.
https://taskandpurpose.com/army-private-stolen-huey-shot-white-house-lawn-1974/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1974_White_House_helicopter_incident
Additonal video footage :
The White House Helicopter Incident - http://www.NBCUniversalArchives.com
https://youtu.be/tuphCzpzAmQ
COL Mikel J. Burroughs LTC Wayne Brandon LTC (Join to see) Maj William W. 'Bill' Price Capt Tom Brown Maj Marty Hogan @ smsgt doc SMSgt Minister Gerald A. "Doc" Thomas TSgt Joe C. SrA Christopher B. MSG Andrew White SFC William Farrell SSG David Andrews SSG Robert Webster SGT Jim Arnold SGT (Join to see) SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth SP5 Mark Kuzinski CPL Dave Hoover SPC Mike Lake SPC Margaret Higgins
By STEPHEN CARLSON
In 1974, Robert K. Preston, 20, landed a helicopter on the White House South Lawn after being shot at by federal officers on his second pass over the executive mansion.
When Iraq War veteran Omar Gonzalez jumped the fence of the White House on Sunday, Sept. 19, and rushed the building, the Secret Service reported that he was stopped at the door. But on Monday, the Washington Post revealed that he actually made it well into the East Wing before being overpowered by Secret Service agents.
As brazen as the incident was, raising concerns about White House security, it pales before the spectacle of an Army private landing a stolen helicopter on the White House lawn amid a hail of gunfire over 40 years ago.
A little past midnight on Feb. 17, 1974, Pfc. Robert K. Preston stole an unarmed UH-1 Iroquois, better known as the “Huey,” from Tipton airfield in Fort Meade, Maryland. Twenty-year-old Preston, who had a private fixed-wing pilot’s license, had washed out of the Army’s helicopter pilot school the previous year.
After buzzing drivers on the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, he reached the White House and briefly touched down, with the Secret Service initially not firing on him. After he took off from the lawn, the arrival of two Maryland State police choppers led to an aerial chase.
He was “one hell of a pilot,” a Maryland state police later said.
Preston briefly hovered near the Washington Monument, at one point nearly colliding with it while under fire from the state police. He then returned to the White House and hovered 100 meters away on the South Lawn, coming under a fusillade of shotgun and submachine gun fire.
Slightly wounded by buckshot, he set the Huey down and after a short foot chase, was tackled by the Secret Service. President Richard Nixon, who was deeply embroiled in the Watergate scandal, was not in the White House at the time.
At his court martial, Preston admitted stealing the chopper, saying that the Army had unjustly extended his term of enlistment after he had failed flight school.
Despite an escapade that would have any sergeant major suffering a rage-induced stroke, Preston got off relatively light. After serving six months in a military stockade, he was released with a general discharge for unsuitability.
The event is believed to have inspired failed presidential assassin Samuel Byck, who tried to hijack a commercial airliner less than a week later in order to crash it into the White House and kill Nixon.
https://taskandpurpose.com/army-private-stolen-huey-shot-white-house-lawn-1974/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1974_White_House_helicopter_incident
Additonal video footage :
The White House Helicopter Incident - http://www.NBCUniversalArchives.com
https://youtu.be/tuphCzpzAmQ
COL Mikel J. Burroughs LTC Wayne Brandon LTC (Join to see) Maj William W. 'Bill' Price Capt Tom Brown Maj Marty Hogan @ smsgt doc SMSgt Minister Gerald A. "Doc" Thomas TSgt Joe C. SrA Christopher B. MSG Andrew White SFC William Farrell SSG David Andrews SSG Robert Webster SGT Jim Arnold SGT (Join to see) SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth SP5 Mark Kuzinski CPL Dave Hoover SPC Mike Lake SPC Margaret Higgins
American History
Military History
Helicopters
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Flying
Posted 7 y ago
Responses: 10
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A year at hard labor and a $2400 fine. That's a pretty light sentence under the circumstances.
Given the police officers giving chase in their helicopters were impressed with his flying skills, it is hard to understand how it is he washed out of flight school without a lot more detail. But given his penchant for doing colossally stupid things, maybe it isn't such a stretch.
Good post, brother John!
Given the police officers giving chase in their helicopters were impressed with his flying skills, it is hard to understand how it is he washed out of flight school without a lot more detail. But given his penchant for doing colossally stupid things, maybe it isn't such a stretch.
Good post, brother John!
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CW5 John M.
LTC Wayne Brandon - Sorry to "jump in here" on your threads, but I found the conversation interesting enough to comment. The year being '74 is after we had actually pulled out from Nam ('73), so they were looking for any opportunity to reduce the ranks. In 1969-70 and prior, I knew of pilots having serious "at-fault" car accidents still finishing training. I knew of a 1LT Marine in Flight School at Ft Wolters making an unauthorized climb to some 11,000 feet in a Hughes trainer, encountered carb icing, which killed his engine and he had to make an autorotation to the ground, making a huge deal, yet he went on to finish. A lot just depended on the "need". Flight classes once numbered in the hundreds, but by 1974, the numbers were waaaay down (no more need).
In aviation, the rifs started in late '71 and were "qualitative", i.e, records/OERs/schooling, etc. They continued on into '72 and beyond. Then the "qualitative" gave way to "quantitative" cuts. It was during the quantitative cuts that they were "throwing darts" at lists of perfectly qualified soldiers just to get the numbers down. Thanks for letting me jump in.
In aviation, the rifs started in late '71 and were "qualitative", i.e, records/OERs/schooling, etc. They continued on into '72 and beyond. Then the "qualitative" gave way to "quantitative" cuts. It was during the quantitative cuts that they were "throwing darts" at lists of perfectly qualified soldiers just to get the numbers down. Thanks for letting me jump in.
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LTC Jason Mackay
CW5 John M. - you lived it, much better to hear how it worked from you. Guys like me can only read about it and liken it to our personal experience
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LTC Wayne Brandon
CW5 John M. - You are correct, Chief and thank you for your valuable input, it is much appreciated.
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SFC William Farrell
If it did SPC Margaret Higgins he would have been shot down before he had a chance to land!
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