Two Bear Air pilot recounts ordeal in sky above standoff

The pilot of the Two Bear Air helicopter involved in last week's armed standoff said that while the aircraft and its crew survived unscathed, they were repeatedly targeted by a laser sight as they flew in support of area law enforcement.  

"The laser was hitting the aircraft and he was pulling the trigger, that's for sure," Rob Cherot said of 56-year-old Travis Kurt Myers, who faces multiple felony charges in Flathead County District Court following the Sept. 4 standoff. "We were trying to stay moving and stay a safe distance outward to lessen the chance of getting hit." 

Cherot, a search and rescue pilot with Two Bear Air with 20 years of experience in the cockpit, said that the three-man team aboard the helicopter received reports of gunfire as they took to the sky that morning. They sought to maintain a safe distance while aiding officers on the ground, he said.  

"We didn't think they were going to shoot at us for sure, but we knew the guy was shooting at the cops and the drone," Cherot said. "With that in mind we were trying to orbit at a safe distance and keep our camera on them, so we could support the SWAT team and if he fled, we could follow him, just be the eye in the sky for law enforcement guys." 

Prosecutors have filed two counts of assault with a weapon and one count of criminal endangerment against Myers, who remains in the county jail with bail set at $150,000. He is expected to appear before Judge Dan Wilson on Sept. 19 for his arraignment on the felony charges.  

Myers is accused of threatening a pair of women with a gun at a property on Sullivan Crossroad near Columbia Falls Stage Road about 2 a.m. After pointing a gun at both women, he allegedly shot at the feet of one of them, according to court documents.  

Responding Flathead County Sheriff's Office deputies deployed a drone, which also drew fire from Myers, court documents said. Authorities estimate that Myers fired more than 11 rounds during the confrontation with law enforcement. Two of those were aimed at Two Bear Air, prosecutors alleged.

Authorities took Myers into custody with a Sheriff’s Office K9 unit, officials said.  

Cherot said there is no way to know how close the rounds came to the helicopter. 

"We were videoing him the whole time and we got a lot of great video of him shining a laser, which was mounted to his rifle, lasering the helicopter," he said. "We could see the muzzle flashing." 

Two Bear Air personnel inspected the helicopter upon its return, finding no evidence of bullet strikes.  

The aircraft is unarmored, Cherot said. Doing what he described as "barroom ballistics" after the standoff, the crew suspected that a bullet would have had enough energy to pass through the helicopter had it struck on target, conceding that they do not know what type of ammunition Myers allegedly used. Like the helicopter, the crew was unarmored that morning, he said.  

But Cherot said that the laser pointed at the helicopter was as concerning as the gunfire.  

"Getting shot at obviously sounds awesome and dramatic and scary and all that, but shining a laser at an aircraft is a huge safety concern," he said. "The laser thing is almost, it doesn't sound as bad, but for our safety and the safety of aircraft in general, the laser is a pretty huge risk. He was shining that at us." 

Cherot said lasers can cause eye damage and temporarily blind pilots, elevating the risk of an accident. It can also bounce around the cockpit, causing a distraction. 

"I've been hit only one other time in the cockpit and it scattered and it's almost like a laser light show and bounces all around," he said. 

That occurred during a mission in Idaho earlier this year. Cherot said Two Bear Air had picked up an individual injured during a plane crash and flown them to a hospital. Someone targeted the helicopter with a laser light as it headed back toward Montana, he said.  

As for being shot at, Cherot said last week's incident was the first — as far as he knows.  

"It's pretty rare," he said. "We've had weapons pointed at us before, but I don't think we have documented proof [of being shot at]. We may have been shot at but don't know it." 

News Editor Derrick Perkins can be reached at 758-4430 or dperkins@dailyinterlake.com.