Thanks for the helicopter tips; still a mystery

| Helicopter | West Seattle news

8:35 PM: Have received various reports of a helicopter spotted over various areas of north West Seattle. Checking to see what we can find out. If you are seeing ground police activity that goes with it, let us know – there’s nothing on the scanner or 911 right now, but we’re driving in the general reported area to look around.

8:50 PM: We headed down toward West Marginal Way after reports it was seen over eastern West Seattle. Co-publisher Patrick Sand says it’s now visible over the eastern shore of the Duwamish River – we’re assuming it’s the same chopper – with a spotlight. So, still a mystery, but it’s definitely not just focused on West Seattle. There are still NO police or fire incidents in our area that would match to it. TV choppers do not routinely fly at this time of night, either.

9:09 PM: Via Facebook, Lisa G reminds us that high-school football games are sometimes videotaped via chopper, so we do get Friday night flyovers this time of year. We thought briefly we’d found a game scheduled at WS Stadium tonight, but it was last year’s schedule. Mystery continues!

9:21 PM: Lt. Alan Williams at the Southwest Precinct confirms police don’t have anything going on that would have merited a chopper (overall, quiet in general so far right now, he says).

Jared September 2, 2011 (8:39 pm)

There was a firetruck just moments ago when the helicopter was in the air at this address.

4503 42nd Avenue Southwest, Seattle

They went inside the apartment building there across from QFC.

S September 2, 2011 (8:42 pm)

I was wondering about what was going on… I could see it from my back door. I was hovering over the area of Jefferson Square for quite a few minites then started moving East towards the Bridge… then I didn’t see where it went. I heard it first, and I’m up on 35th Ave and SW Morgan.. Curious to read what you find out..

WSB September 2, 2011 (8:46 pm)

There are no public-safety incidents that we can find. No police, no fire. Once upon a time, there was a chopper flying around doing infrared testing, not to say that’s what it was, but there are aircraft for unusual reasons … TR

LiouxLioux September 2, 2011 (8:47 pm)

Low chopper hovering over West Marginal around 4300 block. Haven’t heard any sirens and usually do up on Pigeon Point.

kenwood September 2, 2011 (8:50 pm)

The helicopter I can see has been hovering over the head of the Duwamish river, just to the east of 4000 19th Ave SW. It’s been there for about 15min or so.

West Seattle Acid Party September 2, 2011 (8:51 pm)

It is currently hovering over the Duwamish near the south end of harbor island near ashgrove cement. Loudly.

ttt September 2, 2011 (8:51 pm)

it was hovering low in one location for at least 5 minutes… looked like over the jefferson sq area… hard to tell in the dark, but looked white with blue…

shana September 2, 2011 (9:11 pm)

Had a few cop cars drive slowly by my apartment when the chopper was hovering near jefferson square…

T September 2, 2011 (9:13 pm)

It looked like it was just above All Star. It might have had something hanging from it, similar to the one doing the baseline testing for radition levels or something a couple of months ago, but I couldn’t see for sure. There was a copter doing the same thing last night, but was only there for a few minutes, so I didn’t think much of it at the time.

Amy Thomson September 2, 2011 (9:15 pm)

We live overlooking the Duwamish, just up from the Duwamish Longhouse. The helicopter was hovering over West Marginal, or slightly west of West Marginal, near the moving company (Atlas Van Lines?) or the Grey Line bus barn. Its nose was pointed toward the slope of the hill. It’s gone now.

Patrick September 2, 2011 (9:19 pm)

WSAP is absolutely right. It was dead flat over the cement plant and has a search light on its nose.

Gene September 2, 2011 (9:22 pm)

It definitely circled Jefferson Square a few times, then headed off east. From the Junction area, it looked like there was smoke or steam coming from the area where the copter was (or still is, haven’t checked in a bit) hovering. Based on the other comments here, I’m guessing that was just from the cement factory.

Nate September 2, 2011 (9:44 pm)

We were on the roof of the mural apartments while it hovered directly above us for a few minutes… Raised a beer to them… Good times!

what? September 2, 2011 (10:38 pm)

Good times? If you say so. Seems like they followed me two blocks down Delridge. Very uncomfortable and I hope to find out what it was all about.

S5 September 2, 2011 (11:59 pm)

@what?: good lord, it’s a helicopter, not an alien spaceship.

austin September 3, 2011 (7:46 am)

Because it’s that much more probable that someone would be followed by an alien spaceship than a helicopter.

nick September 3, 2011 (8:34 am)

Do they still do those patrols over the city, looking for heat radiation? IF their heat sensors find a higher degree of heat emanating from a house, then they figure you must be doing something illegal. A basement pot growing farm, for example.
Or, maybe too many frying pans going at once. ha ha.

S September 3, 2011 (12:32 pm)

When they do the radiation scan flights, they aren’t just hovering in one spot… they are flying really low and pretty fast..and you can clearly see the instruments they are using to do the scans secured to the copter… this was just a regular copter… and it hung out over Jefferson square for quite a few minutes before it headed east…. @What… they weren’t following you…

Paula T September 3, 2011 (1:55 pm)

Being a born and raised West Seattle gal, I would hazard a guess that someone is taking helicopter pilot lessons out of Boeing Field and hovering is part of those lessons. Seen it before, and sure we will again…

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