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A helicopter prison escape is made when an inmate is taken from a prison by means of a helicopter. The helicopter's vertical lift is ideal for prison escapes because of the limited space to land and take off in prisons. This list includes prisoner escapes where a helicopter was used in an attempt to free prisoners from a place of internment, a prison or correctional facility.
One of the earliest instances of using a helicopter to escape a prison was the escape of Joel David Kaplan, nicknamed "Man Fan", on August 19, 1971 from the Santa Martha Acatitla in Mexico.[3] Kaplan was a New York businessman who not only successfully escaped the prison but eventually escaped Mexico and went on to write a book about his experience, The 10-Second Jailbreak.[4]
France has had more recorded helicopter escape attempts than any other country, with at least 11.[5] One of the most notable French jail breaks occurred in 1986, when the wife of bank robber Michel Vaujour studied for months to learn how to fly a helicopter. Using her newly-acquired skills, she rented a white helicopter and flew low over Paris to pluck her husband off the roof of his fortress prison. Michel was later seriously wounded in a shootout with police, and his pilot wife was arrested.[2]
The record for most helicopter escapes goes to convicted murderer Pascal Payet, who has used helicopters to escape from prisons in 2001, 2003, and most recently 2007.[6]
Another multiple helicopter escapee is Vasilis Paleokostas who on February 22, 2009 escaped for the second time from the same prison.[7] Because of this, many prisons have taken applicable precautions, such as nets or cables strung over open prison courtyards.[8]
Contreras Castro, Carlos AntonioCarlos Antonio Contreras Castro
Seamus Twomey Kevin Mallon
The Mountjoy helicopter escape became Republican lore and was immortalized by "The Helicopter Song", which contains the lines "It's up like a bird and over the prison. There's three men a'missing I heard the warder say".[1]
The pilot then explained, in great detail, exactly where they were and where they would be landing on arrival at the Quebec City airport. He added that the police would surely be aware by then, that she had highjacked the helicopter but would not yet be aware that she had given up her arms to the pilot. All the time Jenner was squeezing the transmit button on his cyclic stick and the tower was picking up all the details. The moment they touched down at the airport, the girl bailed from the helicopter but the police, who had been advised of the situation by the control tower, were hiding out all over the place and captured the girl within seconds.
The plan was thwarted when Lord Tony Moynihan, himself an exile in the Philippines, informed the Australian Federal Police, who then ran it as a sting operation. Tony Moynihan would later become an informer against Howard Marks in a Florida trial.
Of the accused, only David McMillan and his accountant friend who had visited the prison, stood trial. During the hearings, few prosecution witnesses used their real names as they were mostly from Moynihan’s former West African MI6 unit. Those on trial were convicted and sentenced.[12]
Ron McIntosh for his role in the escape was sentenced to 25 years in prison. Samantha Lopez was given five years added to her 50 year sentence for a 1981 bank robbery in Georgia.[17] As they were driven away to their separate prisons McIntosh was able to lean out of a car window and yell, I love you! to Lopez.[18] Samantha Lopez was released from prison on 20 April 2010.[19]
Myszka, Jean-ClaudeJean-Claude Myszka Bellaïche, AndréAndré Bellaïche
Ben Kramer was serving life without parole for Don Aronow owner of Cigarette Off Shore Boats.[23]
Lucy Dudko, dubbed Red Lucy by the media, was sentenced to the maximum of 10 years and was sent to Mulawa Correctional Centre women's prison. On May 9, 2006 she was released on parole after serving 7 years of her sentence.[30] John Killick was released on January 22, 2015, but is not allowed to have contact with Dudko until he turns 80 years old.[31]
Earlier in the day two men rented a helicopter pretending to be tourists wanting a panoramic ride over the city. While in the air they drew guns and forced the pilot to land in the central yard of the prison. The inmates jumped aboard, and when the pilot took off again guards opened fire. The helicopter was found abandoned on a football pitch 50 kilometres (31 mi) away full of bullet holes.[36]
Jose Rodriguez Victor Diaz Hector Diaz Jose Tapia
The escapees were:
Of the five, only Victor Gonzalez Diaz wasn't recaptured immediately. The inmates claimed to have killed him soon after the break-out. He later surrendered himself to authorities in January 2003.[37]
Ferdinand was later arrested and was extradited from Italy to Belgium.[43] In February 2008, he was sentenced to six years in prison for the escape. Three of his accomplices also received prison terms.[44]
Payet and his accomplices then fled the scene and the pilot was released unharmed. Payet gained notoriety for using a helicopter in 2001 to escape from
[45]
Nordin Benallal faces over 50 years of jail time has several convictions for armed robbery, carjacking, and previous escape attempts. He has previously run from a prison van, walked out of jail wearing a wig and sunglasses and scaled a prison wall with a rope ladder.[47]
On April 27, 2009, Juliano Verbard escaped from the Domenjod Prison near Saint-Denis on the island of Réunion. Three armed accomplices, posing as tourists, hijacked a helicopter and landed in the exercise yard of the prison.[51] He escaped with two followers, father and son duo, Alexin Jismy and Fabrice Michel. Once the three were aboard they took off and landed in a nearby clearing where a van was waiting.[51] He was recaptured on May 6, 2009.[52]
At the same time, the armed passengers used AK47 assault rifles and Uzi submachine gun to fire on the prison guards. One guard, who was inside a post, was slightly injured by shards of flying glass. He and others returned fire, injuring Vlastos, who had managed to climb into the helicopter, as well as the helicopter's technician. Vlastos fell from a height of about 3 meters (10 feet) into the courtyard, and the helicopter was eventually grounded in the parking lot.
Prison officials told TV stations Mega and NET that they recovered well over 500 bullets fired from the helicopter. The Ministry of Justice, in statements describing the escape attempt, added that the helicopter passengers also carried, but did not use, "improvised explosive devices."
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Helicopter, Aviation, List of rotorcraft, Rotorcraft, Piasecki Aircraft