# Could this happen in the U.S.? Prisoner escapes by helicopter **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 24, 2009, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-happen-in-the-u-s-prisoner-escapes-by-helicopter/487232 "2009-02-24T17:52:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![hibernicus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hibernicus/32/2802_2.png) [@hibernicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hibernicus)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-happen-in-the-u-s-prisoner-escapes-by-helicopter/487232/21 "2009-02-25T01:52:22Z")
> [@Pushkin](#): > > I remembered something involving the IRA and a helicopter too when I saw the thread title, were you thinking of the [1973 Mountjoy Prison helicopter escape](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1973_Mountjoy_Prison_helicopter_escape)? That’s the one I was thinking of, thanks Pushkin. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-happen-in-the-u-s-prisoner-escapes-by-helicopter/487232/22 "2009-02-25T02:44:23Z")
It’s not that uncommon. Naturally, there’s a [list](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helicopter_prison_escapes) of gaol helicopter escapes on Wiki. There was one in Australia in 1999. Both the escaping prisoner and his rescuer were later recaptured. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-happen-in-the-u-s-prisoner-escapes-by-helicopter/487232/23 "2009-02-25T05:56:54Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > Pretty interesting [story](http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090223/od_nm/us_greece_escape_odd_1), although a bit on the brief side. > > I don’t know a lot about how air space and air traffic works, but I imagine they’d see the helicopter coming on radar, try to contact it by radio to see where the hell it’s going, and when it doesn’t respond… would most prisons have the capability to shoot it down? Airspace control is linked to traffic need. Unless a prison is located next to a major airport there aren’t going to be any restrictions around it. Aircraft under VFR flight rules aren’t required to maintain contact with a radar center, or even have a radio or transponder depending on airspace. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-happen-in-the-u-s-prisoner-escapes-by-helicopter/487232/24 "2009-02-25T06:19:20Z")
> [@](#): > > If the point is purely segregation from society (so that the rest of us may be safe), I’m sure the ADX does that quite well. I just question whether it’s necessary to go to that extreme as a “punishment”. It’s not a punishment. It’s for their safety. Famous prisoners are often the targets of murder attempts by other prisoners. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-happen-in-the-u-s-prisoner-escapes-by-helicopter/487232/25 "2009-02-25T06:21:05Z")
> [@](#): > > Airspace control is linked to traffic need. Unless a prison is located next to a major airport there aren’t going to be any restrictions around it. Aircraft under VFR flight rules aren’t required to maintain contact with a radar center, or even have a radio or transponder depending on airspace. Airspace above prisons is prohibited to overflights below a certain level in New York. I think other states probably have similar laws. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-happen-in-the-u-s-prisoner-escapes-by-helicopter/487232/26 "2009-02-25T11:47:29Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Airspace above prisons is prohibited to overflights below a certain level in New York. I think other states probably have similar laws. It might fall under the same rules as stadiums. I couldn’t find it on the FAA site but that doesn’t mean it’s not there. There’s a prison near an airport I frequent so I occasionally find myself flying over it alhough I do try to avoid it. I checked a sectional map and it was clearly marked as a prison. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-happen-in-the-u-s-prisoner-escapes-by-helicopter/487232/27 "2009-02-25T14:22:54Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Airspace above prisons is prohibited to overflights below a certain level in New York. I think other states probably have similar laws. Better tell that to Nite Owl and Silk Spectre. ---
**Author:** ![Dog80](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@Dog80](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dog80)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-happen-in-the-u-s-prisoner-escapes-by-helicopter/487232/28 "2009-02-25T14:36:09Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > One problem would be that if the helicopter had been hijacked (as in the Greek case cited), shooting down the helicopter would kill the innocent pilot. And a lot of other people as well. The [Korydalos prison](http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=%CF%86%CF%85%CE%BB%CE%B1%CE%BA%CE%B5%CF%82&sll=37.984156,23.661289&sspn=0.029191,0.06609&ie=UTF8&ll=37.977018,23.650882&spn=0.003649,0.008261&t=h&z=18) is situated in a densely populated area. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-happen-in-the-u-s-prisoner-escapes-by-helicopter/487232/29 "2009-02-25T18:02:08Z")
No one’s yet mentioned Superman II, and Lex Luthor’s escape from prison via helicopter? Classic. > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Airspace above prisons is prohibited to overflights below a certain level in New York. I think other states probably have similar laws. Well, assisting a prisoner to escape is presumably prohibited as well. 😛 If someone’s willing to break _that_ law, I imagine they’d also be willing to risk the penalties associated with illegal overflight. ---
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-happen-in-the-u-s-prisoner-escapes-by-helicopter/487232/30 "2009-02-25T23:52:32Z")
> [@Cunctator](#): > > It’s not that uncommon. Naturally, there’s a [list](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helicopter_prison_escapes) of gaol helicopter escapes on Wiki. Wow, according to that list this is the _second_ successful helicopter escape from the same prison! You think they’d learn their lesson… ---
**Author:** ![Gus\_Handsome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@Gus\_Handsome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gus_Handsome)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-happen-in-the-u-s-prisoner-escapes-by-helicopter/487232/31 "2009-02-26T00:51:46Z")
Well as a former Correctional Officer at Millhaven Maximum Security Institution in Kingston, Ontario, I am able to comment on this subject with some degree of knowledge. About 15 years ago there were a rash of attempts like this in Western Canada, so much so, that Corrections Canada National Headquarters issued a memo to every institution in the country. I remember reading it as I was manning one of the towers because the memo was duct-taped to the gun rack. I can’t recall word for word what it said, but basically they instructed us that in the event that such a situation took place, we were NOT TO SHOOT DOWN THE HELICOPTER under any circumstances. One of the reasons was the possibility of the pilot being under duress. I’m sure a full size helicoptor crashing into the prison yard with everyone outside would also cause a substantial loss of life. I won’t say a loss of life of ‘innocent people’, but you know what I mean. 🙂 The memo instructed us to shoot them as they were running towards the helicoptor, but once on board, we were to stop shooting once it began it’s lift. Regards Gus ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-happen-in-the-u-s-prisoner-escapes-by-helicopter/487232/32 "2009-02-26T01:27:27Z")
> [@GreasyJack](#): > > Wow, according to that list this is the _second_ successful helicopter escape from the same prison! You think they’d learn their lesson… Not just the second escape. The second escape by the same people. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-happen-in-the-u-s-prisoner-escapes-by-helicopter/487232/33 "2009-02-26T02:36:24Z")
There’s a [jail in downtown Chicago](http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/North_America/United_States/photo243983.htm) (I don’t know what it is) that has an exercise yard on the roof, which you can see if you’re on the Observation deck of the Sears Tower and look down. I don’t know if there was ever an attempt to escape by helicopter in the past, but now there’s mesh over the exercise yard. ---
**Author:** ![medstar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f07891/32.png) [@medstar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/medstar)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-happen-in-the-u-s-prisoner-escapes-by-helicopter/487232/34 "2009-02-26T02:37:01Z")
I’m pretty sure there’s a movie from the '70’s or '80’s which dealt with this scenario. I think that Charles Bronson played a part. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-this-happen-in-the-u-s-prisoner-escapes-by-helicopter/487232.md?page=1)