Says He Had To Take Evasive Action To Avoid Collision

The U.K. Airprox Board has released a report stemming from a possible near miss between a helicopter and an aircraft described as a "tandem-rotor drone".

According to the report the incident occurred on April 10th near Blackbushe Airport. The pilot of the helicopter, a twin Squirrel, said he sighted a black tandem rotor drone in the 11 o’clock position at the same level at approximately 100m. Within one second of sighting he performed a rapid roll to the right, the drone passed down the left side of the aircraft within a few feet (20ft to 40ft estimated). Farnborough ATC was informed and the details passed and they continued to warn other traffic of conflict for at least 20 minutes after the event.

According to the board, the drone was being flown beyond practical VLOS limits and was endangering other aircraft at that location and altitude. The Board agreed that the incident was therefore best described as the drone was flown into conflict with the Twin Squirrel.

The Board considered that the pilot’s estimate of separation, allied to his overall account of the incident and his ability/inability to avoid the object portrayed a situation where providence had played a major part in the incident and/or a definite risk of collision had existed. They listed the risk of collision as "high".

The news website getsurry.com reports that the incident was one of 15 near-misses involving aircraft and drones or balloons up to the end of May. Four of those were identified as “category A” incidents, considered the most serious.

The U.K. government is reportedly considering new regulations that would crack down on what it describes as "reckless" drone operators.

(Image from file)

FMI: Airprox Board Summary