In the early hours of February 17, 1974, Robert K. Preston, a Private First Class in the United States Army, absconded with a Bell UH-1 Iroquois (“Huey”) helicopter from Fort Meade, Maryland.
A 20-year-old Private First Class in the U.S. Army based in Panama City, Florida, Robert K. Preston had been undergoing training to become a helicopter pilot but discontinued due to challenges in the instrument phase. Preston, a former participant in the JROTC program at Rutherford High School in Panama City, Florida, harbored ambitions of a military career for a significant period. Following his apprehension, Preston revealed his discontent over the termination of his helicopter pilot training, citing this as the motivation behind his demonstration of piloting prowess.
In the early hours after midnight, while on leave and returning to Tipton Field near Fort Meade, Robert K. Preston embarked on a daring flight. Despite the availability of thirty helicopters at the base, he chose one without anti-collision lights and departed without the customary radio communications. The Maryland State Police were promptly notified. Preston’s unauthorized flight path led him southwest towards Washington, D.C., where he circled near iconic landmarks such as the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument, and even the South Lawn of the White House. Subsequently pursued by two Bell 206 JetRanger police helicopters and ground units, Preston altered his course multiple times, eventually breaching the White House grounds. In response, the Secret Service resorted to gunfire, resulting in Preston sustaining minor injuries. He skillfully landed the helicopter, leading to his arrest and subsequent detainment.
As the incident concluded and the sun rose, the bullet-pocked Huey became an ephemeral tourist spectacle. Following the dramatic events involving Robert K. Preston, the helicopter he commandeered, riddled with bullet holes from the encounter with the Secret Service, underwent assessment by military experts. Despite the damage sustained, it was deemed airworthy and subsequently took off in full view of numerous news cameras just before noon. Notably, there have been implications that the media coverage of Preston’s escapade may have influenced Samuel Byck’s ill-fated endeavor to crash a commercial airliner into the White House on February 22, 1974.
In a plea deal, Robert K. Preston confessed to charges of “wrongful appropriation and breach of the peace.” Subsequently, he received a one-year prison sentence and was imposed a fine of $2,400. Following his release, Preston relocated to Washington state. There, he tied the knot in 1982 and assumed the role of a father figure to his wife’s two daughters. Tragically, Preston succumbed to cancer on July 21, 2009, at the age of 55, while residing in Ephrata.
Relevant articles:
– TIL today in 1974 a U.S. Army soldier stole a Bell UH-1 helicopter and landed it on the South Lawn of the White House
– The Time a Stolen Helicopter Landed on the White House Lawn, Smithsonian Magazine
– South Lawn, wikipedia.org
– 1974 White House helicopter incident, Military Wiki | Fandom