FBI drops investigation of Noble helicopter incident

The FBI will no longer pursue an investigation of a man who a helicopter pilot thought pointed a rifle at his chopper while it was being used to fight wildfires in Noble.

BY MATT PATTERSON mpatterson@opubco.com | Published: September 3, 2011

NOBLE — The FBI is dropping its investigation of a man who was believed to have pointed a gun at an Oklahoma National Guard helicopter fighting wildfires in Noble on Thursday afternoon.

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(The pilot) was acting in the interest of his personal safety and the safety of his crew.”

Betsy

Randolph

Oklahoma

Highway Patrol trooper

FBI spokesman Clay Simmonds said investigators have interviewed the man and do not believe he had a firearm. No arrests are expected.

The pilot of a Black Hawk helicopter told authorities he thought he saw a man point a gun at his helicopter while the chopper was picking up a bucket of water at a pond in Noble.

Instead, authorities believe the man only had a fishing pole.

“We're pretty sure it was not a firearm,” Simmonds said. “As far as we're concerned, it doesn't meet the guidelines as far as a violation of federal law, so there is no need to continue to investigate.”

Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper Betsy Randolph said the pilot did the right thing under the circumstances.

“From his vantage point it would be difficult to determine what it was in the man's hands,” Randolph said. “He was acting in the interest of his personal safety and the safety of his crew, and in this case, it was getting out of there as fast as he could.”