Turkish Downing of a Syrian Helicopter

This event, perhaps not the first or last of its kind, occurred on the afternoon of September 16, 2013, near the border between Turkey and Syria. A Syrian military helicopter said to be tracking Turkish-sponsored insurgents, purportedly went from hugging to crossing the Turkish border, with varying accounts of its severity. Turkish fighter jets then shot it down; the helicopter crashed somewhere inside Syria (we hope to set a location in time). Its pilot at least reportedly parachuted to safety, but was captured by Turkish-sponsored insurgents and beheaded.


 * Turkish foreign minister, Ahmet Davutoglu: “No one, from now on, will dare to violate Turkish borders in any way.” (source: New York Times)

Location
All sources agree the crash was on Syrian soil. The opposition video published by the Syrian Observatory is filmed from railroad tracks. This must be the border rail line, exact spot not certain, perhaps aling this stretch (on Google Maps), anywhere from two to four kilometers inside Syria. (See talk page for other possibilities and notes.) This is along the unusual thumb of Turkish territory around the labeled town of Asagipulluyazi, about 10-12 km southeast of the cited Yayladagi. If there is one area of the border Turkey might give a chopper pilot some leeway with sudden changes in the border, this would be the place. They was no such mercy.

The Crew
The helicopter's pilot apparently parachuted and landed safely, where rebels took him captive. The SOHR posted on a video with the notes "Footage of the pilot of the helicopter that was dropped yesterday in Reef Latakia by a Turkish warplane." A video posted to Live Leak claims to show the pilot before and after, but not during, his subsequent beheading. The New York Times reported "One rebel fighter said he saw members of a jihadist brigade capture and behead a crew member. 'The fighter provided an image purporting to show the severed head of the slain Syrian airman, but neither his account nor the picture’s authenticity could be independently confirmed."