The Omaha Police Department’s sole functioning helicopter has been out of service since July 1.
An Omaha police helicopter, Able-1, a Bell 206 B III, crashed last August at the Blair Airport.
The latest addition to the Omaha Police Department’s helicopter fleet, this used 2012 aircraft, is not yet ready to fly. The manufacturing of needed parts has been delayed by the coronavirus.
The Omaha Police Department’s sole functioning helicopter has been out of service since July 1.
And the department’s plan to deploy a second helicopter purchased this year has stalled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The issues are a rocky start to the air support unit’s recovery from last year’s rock bottom, when the unit was grounded for 39 days and spent only 454 hours in the air — half what it usually flies.
In 2019, a crash in April ruined one helicopter, while another crash in August totaled a second. That contributed to an unusually low year of flight hours. Then a World-Herald analysis this March found a substantial decline in the unit’s flight hours over the past two decades.
New Chief Pilot Frank Peck has promised improvements, and the city purchased a $2.7 million helicopter in the spring to bolster its fleet that he hoped to deploy by June 1.
That chopper, a used 2012 Bell 407 GX, was taken to a maintenance facility the first week of April. But modifying the helicopter for department operations was put on hold because of delays in the manufacturing of required parts due to the coronavirus.
The department hopes to have that helicopter in the air by the beginning of September, said Lt. Sherie Thomas, a police spokeswoman.
The unit’s lone remaining helicopter, a Jet Ranger 206B3, had a “hot start” on July 1 when it was trying to help with a pursuit.
“The engine temperature climbed too high and too fast for the pilot to stop,” Thomas wrote in a statement. “The temperature hit a limit, so now it must be pulled and inspected.”
One week later, the unit’s pilots were temporarily reassigned to the criminal investigation bureau.
The department wants to fix the Jet Ranger within the next few weeks, but it is working within its budget. Officials were told Thursday to cut costs.
The projected cost of repairs is $131,000, which includes the price of a rental engine and the cost to install it.
Until then, Thomas noted that Omaha police can request the use of the Nebraska State Patrol’s helicopter if needed.
Notable crime news of 2020
Read about some of the biggest and strangest crime stories in Nebraska and western Iowa.
Two former Husker players now charged with first-degree sexual assault texted each other about telling the truth about their sexual encounter with a woman, according to a court document. Read more
Authorities were able to arrest a man in connection with the December 2000 slaying of his neighbor thanks to advancements in DNA testing. Read more
A former Nebraska defensive back was sentenced in Lancaster County Court to five years' probation after pleading no contest to resisting arrest during a traffic stop. Read more
Dustin Moheng was fatally shot after a night involving arguments, drug use, a firearm transaction and a search on Snapchat for Moheng’s whereabouts. Read more
A surveillance camera recorded a young man painting a swastika on the front door of the South Street Temple at 2061 S. 20th St. A swastika also was painted on the synagogue’s steps. Lincoln police are investigating the incident as a hate crime. Read more
A 17-year-old girl was kidnapped in early 2019, taken to a hotel and forced to pose for nude photos that would be used as sex advertisements. Read more
The officers were identified earlier as Joshua Ames, Jacob Sunderman and Matthew Ajuoga. Ames was shot in the leg during a New Years Eve incident and was later taken to a hospital, where he was treated and released. Read more
Since the beginning of 2014, at least 56 certified Nebraska educators were caught having inappropriate communication or sexual contact with students. Their misconduct ranged from sexual intercourse with a student to dinner and a movie with a student. Read more
A Marine from Nebraska who tried to enter Offutt Air Force Base last May with firearms and ammunition in his truck was sentenced to three years in a military prison. Read more
Richard L. McIntyre, 57, was run over last Feb. 3 by a Ford F-250 pickup truck. He had been walking to get a pack of cigarettes near 84th and Q Streets. The pickup driver, 44-year-old Michael W. Sullivan, drove off and didn’t turn himself in until nine days later. Read more
Seven years after spending some time in jail with Joshua Keadle, Cory Pfeifer saw a news report about Keadle being charged with murder in the disappearance and death of Peru State College student Tyler Thomas. The report prompted Pfeifer, now a truck driver from Plattsmouth, to go to the Nemaha County Attorney’s Office and relate something Keadle told him in that county’s jail about the missing student. Read more
An Omaha man was accused of firing multiple shots at a Millard Hy-Vee. An off-duty deputy police chief and a shopper tackled him to the ground. No one was wounded by the gunfire. Read more
A 14-year-old girl with no permit or licence got behind the wheel of a pickup truck and fatally struck a motorcyclist, Omaha police said. Read more
A 14-year-old Omaha boy was charged with manslaughter in Juvenile Court after authorities said he accidentally shot and killed his friend while cleaning a gun. Read more
A 12-year-old and 14-year-old stole and wrecked multiple cars over the course of a month and were repeatedly released from custody, leaving car dealers and prosecutors furious. Read more
The Nebraska Board of Pardons unanimously denied a pardon for Caril Ann Fugate, now Caril Ann Clair, the girlfriend of mass murderer Charlie Starkweather. Read more
A Nebraska pharmacist pleaded guilty to conspiring with a Maryland drug dealer to firebomb a competing pharmacy in Auburn. Read more
A shoplifter made it easy for police to find him when he filled out a job application at the store he stole from. Read more
A former local TV meteorologist was charged with making terroristic threats against the Douglas County health director. He was allegedly angry about the measures taken to limit the spread of the coronavirus. Read more
Dodge County Attorney Oliver Glass pleaded guilty to driving under the influence, but his legal problems may not be over. Read more
Joshua Keadle was sentenced to 71 years to life in prison for the slaying of Peru State student Tyler Thomas, who disappeared 10 years ago. Read more
Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine announced that he would not charge the bar owner who fatally shot protester James Scurlock, but a special prosecutor has since taken up the case and will present the evidence to a grand jury. Read more
A Carter Lake man was sentenced to prison for an attempted assault in which he used some unconventional weapons for modern times: a hatchet and a bow and arrow. Read more
An Omaha man admitted to killing a convicted sex offender, saying he feared that the man would harm more children. Read more
An Omaha woman was charged with second-degree murder after killing her husband on Interstate 80. She says she acted in self-defense. Read more
alia.conley@owh.com, 402-444-1068
Alia Conley
Alia Conley covers breaking news, crime and courts. Follow her on Twitter @aliaconleyOWH. Phone: 402-444-1068.
