[Scan-DC] Incident or Exercise???

Mon, 19 Apr 2004 23:45:13 -0400

Albert,

This sounds like one of the Department of Energy Bell 412 helicopters
that do aerial radiological measurement. Rabpep has made some previous
posts to the list regarding these being based out of Andrews using the
WAMO callsign. The callsign may have been N412DE. If it was the DoE
helo, the pods on the landing skids would be the sensor packages
(scintillation detectors) and flying low (150 ft agl) in a gradually
changing pattern is standard procedure for this kind of helo.

-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Albert LaFrance
Sent: Monday, April 19, 2004 8:51 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: re: [Scan-DC] Incident or Exercise???

In the last approximately 15 minutes (it's 13:30 now) a helo has made
four passes (north-south-north-south), very low, beginning just west of
my location near the Annandale Rd./Arlington Blvd. intersection, with
each pass being further east.  The first pass might have been over the
Beltway, while the last was directly over my house.

I think the tail number is N4120E.  The upper part of the fuselage is
white, with a blue "racing stripe" along the lower portion of the sides
and running vertically up the back.  There are two tanks or pods on the
landing skids.

Possibly an aerial land-surveying/mapping operation?  Seemed like it was
too low for that, but I don't have any expertise from which to judge.

Albert

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