Aircraft Being Shot at in Uitenhage

[Chris-Cub]

The inside of the plane must reveal something in regards to why the whatever it was split, and what it striked to do that, and what is found left on inside of plane.

[FHV]

My guess is a Black Powder gun. No licence is required and the round slug bullet is not traceable. Some modern day black powder guns are extremely powerful. Almost like a small canon..It will rip a hole far bigger than the slug because of poor penetration and immediately break up into smaller pieces. And it can cause multiple exit wounds...

How low was the aerie?

images (32).jpg

I have one, an old restored Martini Henry and had to get a license for it.

[ACE MAN]

If your chopper looks remotely like this you may be a target for these thugs

[Slam and Go]

Vehicle tracking helicopters are usually R44s are they not?

[Whirly]

Vehicle tracking helicopters are usually R44s are they not?

Mostly, and the Police also own a few.

Whirly.

[dollar]

A 5,56 makes a tiny hole. Its basically a .22 on steroids'

A 308 or 303 tends to make a different shape in thin metal, similar to these

Ja, going through aluminium the edge deformation would be significantly less. That old car is made of real steel

[Kootenayflyer]

Interesting to see that this thread seems to have become an arguing platform about the caliber and type of the weapon used....
I thought the simple fact to be shot at, regardless of the weapon used, to be scary....

Laurent

[MadMacs]

Interesting to see that this thread seems to have become an arguing platform about the caliber and type of the weapon used....
I thought the simple fact to be shot at, regardless of the weapon used, to be scary....

Laurent

We once found a bullet hole in one of our B747's.

[Kootenayflyer]

Interesting to see that this thread seems to have become an arguing platform about the caliber and type of the weapon used....
I thought the simple fact to be shot at, regardless of the weapon used, to be scary....

Laurent

We once found a bullet hole in one of our B747's.

I am not surprised. It always crosses my mind when flying commercial and on finals at OR Tambo and CT as we are flying right over the shanties...

Laurent

[puddlejumper]

We will soon all be "contract" pilots flying low and fast or doing circling approaches. We cant sit on telephone books anymore, they probably use flak jackets these days.

[Dodo]

There are rhino poachers in the Eastern Cape.

They often have heavy calibre rifles and a feeling of unease when helicopters approach.

[dollar]

Interesting to see that this thread seems to have become an arguing platform about the caliber and type of the weapon used....
I thought the simple fact to be shot at, regardless of the weapon used, to be scary....

Laurent

Absolutely correct. It's probably an age thing There are a few of us here who used this stuff and occasionally had one or two incoming at high speed, so we sort of learned about ballistics out of nessesity . I wouldn't say that it was an argument - a discussion rather? The fact that it can and does happen dictates that you need to understand how this stuff works. Small arms fire from below is seldom a show stopper simply because an aimed shot is probably going to miss you. If you are hovering in an Alo (or R22/44) then it's quickly going to be a problem. If the oke is firing at you with a 20mm AA gun then best you go somewher else. An occasional AK round is not going to cause much damage until it accidentally goes through the pilot or engine.

So I think that it's important to answer the "WTF was that" question. When we know the answer the guys who overfly these areas will better understand the dangers

[JimmyZ]

Don't think anyone mentioned it, but my guess is it would be quite difficult to shoot a moving plane with a gun (and hit the target)? Don't think it's just some random criminal with a gun, this person knows how to shoot. Definitely knows to lead the target.

[dollar]

Don't think anyone mentioned it, but my guess is it would be quite difficult to shoot a moving plane with a gun (and hit the target)? Don't think it's just some random criminal with a gun, this person knows how to shoot. Definitely knows to lead the target.

Here's another way of looking at it What was the shooter's intention? If it was to bring down the chopper then he failed. He failed to hit it in the cabin or tail rotor. If it was just to hit the chopper then mission accomplished. But shooting targets in the air is like golf . You have lucky days and you have bad days - shooting clays. I don't shoot at choppers. Some days you smoke them others you get to go and fetch all your unbroken clays in the long grass. It's difficult to shoot a moving target in the air - even with a shotgun using fine shot at fairly close range . It requires practice.

This is why some of us are trying to understand what weapon was used that would cause damage as indicated by the photos. Early indications are that it may be a shotgun (no sights), rifled musket (crude open sites), high caliber rifle like a .458 (open sights) etc etc.

Right now I compare this specific shot to a golf "hole in one" - that doesn't make you a world champion golfer Mostly a Fluke

[jimdavis]

How high AGL was the aircraft?

jim