USAF Pilot Injured by Ground Fire From Virginia

A US Air Force helicopter had to make an emergency landing after it was hit by ground fire—over northern Virginia. The Air Force says the aircraft, which was on a training mission, was hit while flying at an altitude of 1,000 near Middleburg, around 10 miles northwest of Manassas, Monday, CNN reports. The gunfire injured one of the two pilots on board and damaged the UH-1N helicopter, assigned to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, reports the Washington Post. The Air Force says the helicopter made an emergency landing at Manassas Regional Airport and the crew member was treated for a "nonthreating injury" at a hospital and released

Officials at the Manassas airport say they were informed about 12:20pm Monday of "an onboard emergency on a military helicopter that was inbound." The UH-1N landed around 20 minutes later. The FBI says it is working with other agencies, including the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, "to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident," the AP reports. Investigators have confirmed that the helicopter was hit by a bullet, but it's not clear whether somebody was shooting at the aircraft or if it was hit by somebody randomly shooting into the air. (More US Air Force stories.)