It’s not just aerial photographs and harvest measurements; Sometimes people use drones to do bad things. Through a partnership with DroneSec, a private drone security company with offices in Australia and Singapore, RotorDrone Pro can offer this information on the nefarious use of small UAS around the world.
Bad day at the beach
Incident Type: Air collision
Place of incident: Punta de Tralca, Chile
Aircraft type: DJI Mavic 2 Pro
Incident resolution: Crew injured, but aircraft landed safely, drone confiscated
Nobody is more energetic than me for the safe use of drones. We must always make safety our top priority, and avoiding potential conflicts with crewed aircraft must be a primary concern within this overall objective.
Punta de Tralca is a popular seaside resort with a sandy beach, less than two hours from Santiago, Chile’s capital and largest city. In January 2021, a Chilean Navy helicopter conducting a coastal patrol mission was hit by a small drone while flying over the area, injuring one of its crew members. (Courtesy photo by Gurkah Lodiak)
Even so, I have always been skeptical of the idea that a small crewless aircraft system (sUAS) could crash a crewed aircraft. After all, they should keep up the bird strike and continue to fly safely. According to 14 CFR 29.631, a helicopter should be able to receive a direct hit from a 2 pound bird – such as a duck or pigeon – while flying at cruising speed and at least make a safe landing. That’s roughly the weight of a Mavic 2.
In addition, several real-life incidents in recent years seem to support my conviction. In September 2017, an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided with a DJI Phantom in New York City. Immediately after the impact, the crew only reported that they had hit “something” and had not reported an emergency. Only after they had landed as a precaution and inspected the aircraft did they discover the broken remains of the drone. The resulting minor damage was quickly repaired and the aircraft returned to service. After an investigation, serial numbers on the recovered parts revealed the identity of the drone pilot.
The collision between a Navy UH-57B helicopter and a DJI Mavic 2 Pro drone occurred over Punta de Tralca, a coastal community about 70 miles west of the capital, Santiago.
When it hit the UH-57B helicopter flying over Punta de Tralca, the DJI Mavic 2 Pro struck through the windshield and hit the flight engineer in the face in what was termed a “moderate” injury.
Then, in September 2020, a DJI Mavic collided with a Los Angeles Police Department helicopter that was flying at low altitude while assisting officers on the ground in search of a burglar suspect. The UAS hit the underside of the helicopter and damaged the antennas, nose and hood, but there was no imminent threat to flight safety. The crew made an emergency landing and officers on the ground retrieved parts of the drone, which led to the arrest of the drone pilot.
Given my confidence, I was honestly shaken by a case that DroneSec highlighted earlier this year, and especially by the terrifying images that came with it. As a community and industry, we were only a foot or two from our first fatal airborne collision between a UAS and a crewed aircraft. If you’ve ever shared my doubts, it’s time to throw them away right away.
On January 23, 2021, a UH-57B of the Chilean Navy flew a coastal patrol over Punta de Tralca, a seaside resort an hour and a half west of the capital Santiago. The aircraft is the military variant of the Bell 206, known as the “JetRanger”, which is also the base for the Army’s OH-58 Kiowa reconnaissance helicopter. A base unit costs $ 1.4 million and can accommodate five people, including the crew. In short, this is not a weak flying machine. Armed versions of the Bell 206 have flown from Vietnam to Afghanistan and Iraq in conflict, and more than 300 are still in active service with the U.S. military today.
While on patrol, the Chilean UH-57B hit a DJI Mavic 2 Pro. Its altitude at the time of the collision is unknown, but given the mission profile, it is plausible that the helicopter was flying below 1,000 feet. The drone struck through the windshield on the left front of the aircraft and, based on available evidence, hit the occupant of the seat behind it in the face.
Fortunately, the pilot sits in the front right seat of this model helicopter. It was the flight engineer who suffered an injury. After successfully completing an emergency landing, it was found that the crew member had suffered moderate injuries. He received initial treatment at CESFAM in Santo Domingo before being transferred to the Viña del Mar Marine Hospital, where he was expected to make a full recovery.
DroneSec suspects that the Mavic was able to pierce the helicopter’s windshield because, while it weighs roughly the same as a bird intended to be distracted without causing significant damage, it is denser and stiffer than a flesh-and-feather obstruction.
One detail about this incident really sticks with me: a photo that shows the debris of the drone together with a bloody, torn face mask. It’s not hard to imagine the crew wearing masks due to the COVID-19 epidemic and the Mavic that slapped the flight engineer in the mouth. Only an inch or two higher and he could easily have been blinded. A few feet to the right and it could have been the pilot who was blinded, with fatal consequences.
Under any circumstances, my UAS pilots, I would have urged you to keep an eye on your drone at all times and to give the crew aircraft operating nearby plenty of space. Now we know, however, that the danger is more than theoretical: being careless or reckless has the very real potential of injuring or killing our brothers and sisters who operate their flying machines from within, and we must never allow that to happen.
Seen here, along with a face mask that was bloody when it met the flight engineer, is the DJI Mavic 2 Pro that collided with a Chilean Navy helicopter in January.
A member of the Chilean Armed Forces inspects the UH-57B helicopter that was damaged when it struck a small unscrewed aircraft system (UAS) during a coastal patrol mission over Punta de Tralca.
BY PATRICK SHERMAN
