Military Helicopter Makes Emergency Landing at Elementary School Field: ACPS

PHOTO of helicopter courtesy of Alexandria City Public Schools via Twitter

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A U.S. military helicopter made an emergency landing at about 10:30 a.m. Thursday outside an Alexandria elementary school, according to a spokeswoman for Alexandria City Public Schools.

The chopper landed in a field next to William Ramsay Elementary School, according to ACPS spokeswoman Barbara Hunter. No children were outside, according to ACPS. The school is located at 5700 Sanger Ave.

“They had to make an emergency landing,” said Alexandria Police Department spokeswoman Crystal Nosal.

Seven people were on board — two pilots and five officers from the United States Air Force, according to Nosal. No one was hurt, she said. The group was still at the school as of about 11:15 a.m., waiting for the repairs to be completed before they get back on the helicopter to head to Andrews Air Force Base, she said.

Students were initially kept inside during recess Thursday while the helicopter was being worked on but were allowed to come out and see the helicopter.

The school is fairly close to the Pentagon, in Arlington County, where helicopters often come and go. It’s commonplace to see military helicopters in the skies above the I-395 corridor.

The school is about 20 miles from Andrews Air Force Base and about six miles south of the Pentagon. Nosal said she wasn’t sure where the officers had been before the emergency landing.