BANK JOB GONE BAD...

[dirkclod]

Joe maybe read the link in this thread.

Drone pilot pleads guilty/hitting helicopter

Man pleads guilty after drone hits LAPD helicopter, conviction 1st of its kind https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/man-pleads-guilty-after-drone-hits-lapd-helicopter-conviction-1st-n1254365

mavicpilots.com

​

 

[BigAl07]

Picked up the Scanner yesterday and caught the pursuit of a Bank robbery in progress, so I launched the MA2 up 395' and flew it 2.5 miles to the location where
the cops shot the Bank robber, click on the link and check out my aerial pic of the ending where they had him just covered by the body bag.
*Check the name on the credit for the picture, lol... Suspected bank robber killed in police shootout (I was 395' up and about 750 away)

Every aspect of this flight is GROSSLY NEGLIGENT! Let's break this down:

1) Knowingly flew to an ACTIVE Crime/Emergency Scene with ZERO coordination with responding units
2) Flew insanely far beyond any hope for VLOS
3) Who knows how many highways/cars/people you flew over
4) If LEO had spotted your aircraft it could have been "removed from the air" as it could have been perceived to be doing RECON for the bad guys (I kinda think that would have been best in this situation)

What would have happened if there was a civilian or an officer gravely wounded and needed a Medi-Vac heli on scene? You do realize not only did you become a threat to an arriving Medi-Vac, if they had scene (or someone on the ground had scene) your UAS they would have grounded ALL manned aircraft including Medi-Vac. You could have LITERALLY cost someone their life just so you could become an "ambulance chaser".

I rarely get this "fired up" over what I read on the forum but this one... man this one takes the cake. Coming from someone who actually works in this industry I am deeply saddened, maddened, and disappointed in the level of carelessness and complete disregard for those who were on the scene.

 

[BigAl07]

There needs to be a way to facilitate this type of thing. The power of the public is a good thing. Imagine a handful of drones recording the events. The issue is how to make all of this co-exist and not be a nuisance.

There is a WAY!

• A) Learn the rules
• B) Get Part 107
• C) Become a part of your local Emergency Services/LE department and help your fellow man
• D) If you can't fulfill A, B, and C stay home and lets us do our job. Lives could be at stake . . .

The very LAST thing needed on any active incident is John Q. Public and his/her 9 buddies flying overhead.

1. This takes attention away from the urgent matters at hand
2. This could prevent valid and coordinated resources from being able to cover the scene properly
3. This could prevent EMERGENCY Aircraft from being able to access the area
4. You add danger/risk to everyone on the ground merely because we don't know you, your skill level, and more importantly your INTENTIONS!

Flying a Crime/Emergency Scene is not the same "skill set" as taking pretty landscape pictures. We have a LOT going on and it's a high stress situation. The LAST thing we need is more stress and other aspects taking attention away from what we are already doing.

 

[BigAl07]

No heli's in the area, a cop friend of mine liked the idea and advised me to give the picture to the local paper
And treading on dangerous territory is my middle name, lol...

Unfortunately your "cop friend" wasn't aware of the Federal Regulations or he would have been less likely to suggest you self incriminate.

 

[spsphotos]

Maybe the FAA should be made aware of this? Wait, they just did....sorry.

 

[hiflyer201]

check out my aerial pic of the ending where they had him just covered by the body bag.

Thanks for the heads up...I'll pass

 

[anotherlab]

Sigh... This is why the FAA is implementing the RID rules.

 

[MathAddict]

‘What would have happened if there was a civilian or an officer gravely wounded and needed a Medi-Vac heli on scene?”

You might just as well ask “What if a child had been abducted near the scene and the only evidence was the video taken by the drone?”

“What if’s” can be used to “prove” anything.

How about some facts?

I’m just asking:

How many millions of drone-hours have been flown in this country to date?

How many deaths? How many injuries?

How does that number compare to general aviation, driving, riding bicycles, ( Mod Removed)

 

[BigAl07]

‘What would have happened if there was a civilian or an officer gravely wounded and needed a Medi-Vac heli on scene?”

You might just as well ask “What if a child had been abducted near the scene and the only evidence was the video taken by the drone?”

“What if’s” can be used to “prove” anything.

How about some facts?

I’m just asking:

How many millions of drone-hours have been flown in this country to date?

How many deaths? How many injuries?

How does that number compare to general aviation, driving, riding bicycles, ( Mod Removed)

Let's just pick on... in (IIRC) 2018 a MediVac heli was prevented from entering the landing pattern for a hospital due to UAS sighting. The delay was noted at (again IIRC) 12 minutes. If that was YOU or someone you LOVED in that helo what would you have to say? If someone is injured enough to get air lifted it's bad and literally seconds count. Being delayed because some yahoo wants to get that perfect shot and 30 seconds of glory is GROSS NEGLIGENCE.

I don't recall the exact location but I'll do some research and see if I can't find the link to verify this.

In NO case is it acceptable for a non-Public Safety UAS to enter into an ACTIVE incident. NONE!

 

[VenomXts]

lol, this article is timely to this thread.

Drone pilot pleads guilty to chopper collision; could face one year in prison

An LA drone pilot is facing up to a year in prison after pleading guilty to unsafe operation of an unmanned aircraft. There's a lesson here.

dronedj.com

 

[anotherlab]

...You might just as well ask “What if a child had been abducted near the scene and the only evidence was the video taken by the drone?”

“What if’s” can be used to “prove” anything.

Speculation doesn't prove anything.

....How about some facts?

A few posts have already linked to the news about a pilot pleading guilty to crashing his drone into an LAPD helicopter. The situation is comparable to what Joe did.

From the Justice Department's news release:

According to his plea agreement, on September 18, 2020, at approximately 12:18 a.m., Hernandez heard police vehicles driving near his residence and a police helicopter flying overhead. Curious about the commotion, Hernandez launched a drone that he owned toward the police activity and in the helicopter’s direction.

An LAPD helicopter operated by two police officers was flying towards a reported emergency at a pharmacy in Hollywood. As the helicopter approached the pharmacy, the pilot saw the drone and attempted to evade the unmanned aircraft.

Despite the evasive efforts, the drone stuck the helicopter, forcing the pilot to initiate an emergency landing. According to an affidavit filed with a criminal complaint in this case, “if the drone had struck the helicopter’s main rotor instead of the fuselage, it could have brought the helicopter down.”

....How many millions of drone-hours have been flown in this country to date?

How many deaths? How many injuries?

The whole reason for the flying restrictions is to prevent that from happening. The statistics are low, but not zero.

 

[Lets Fly]

Every aspect of this flight is GROSSLY NEGLIGENT! Let's break this down:

1) Knowingly flew to an ACTIVE Crime/Emergency Scene with ZERO coordination with responding units
2) Flew insanely far beyond any hope for VLOS
3) Who knows how many highways/cars/people you flew over
4) If LEO had spotted your aircraft it could have been "removed from the air" as it could have been perceived to be doing RECON for the bad guys (I kinda think that would have been best in this situation)

What would have happened if there was a civilian or an officer gravely wounded and needed a Medi-Vac heli on scene? You do realize not only did you become a threat to an arriving Medi-Vac, if they had scene (or someone on the ground had scene) your UAS they would have grounded ALL manned aircraft including Medi-Vac. You could have LITERALLY cost someone their life just so you could become an "ambulance chaser".

I rarely get this "fired up" over what I read on the forum but this one... man this one takes the cake. Coming from someone who actually works in this industry I am deeply saddened, maddened, and disappointed in the level of carelessness and complete disregard for those who were on the scene.

Well said and I agree 100%.

 

[Beerhunter341]

There is a WAY!

• A) Learn the rules
• B) Get Part 107
• C) Become a part of your local Emergency Services/LE department and help your fellow man
• D) If you can't fulfill A, B, and C stay home and lets us do our job. Lives could be at stake . . .

The very LAST thing needed on any active incident is John Q. Public and his/her 9 buddies flying overhead.

1. This takes attention away from the urgent matters at hand
2. This could prevent valid and coordinated resources from being able to cover the scene properly
3. This could prevent EMERGENCY Aircraft from being able to access the area
4. You add danger/risk to everyone on the ground merely because we don't know you, your skill level, and more importantly your INTENTIONS!

Flying a Crime/Emergency Scene is not the same "skill set" as taking pretty landscape pictures. We have a LOT going on and it's a high stress situation. The LAST thing we need is more stress and other aspects taking attention away from what we are already doing.

Your response makes a lot of assumptions about my post. First and foremost I’m not suggesting that people would fly to a crisis area and interfere. It was quite the opposite. I was suggesting a way for drones to co-exist in a situation like this.

Perhaps emergency personnel could have some sort of beacon attached to them that prevents drones from operating in the area. Sort of like a TNFZ that broadcasts from the device.

Just because there are laws intended to prevent this type of thing doesn’t mean it won’t happen again whether intentional or not.

What about a scenario where a drone is already in the air and a situation occurs. Perhaps a bank robbery like the one in this thread. As law enforcement begin to arrive it would push the drone away using some sort of TNFZ bubble that pushes the drone away from the area.

We have proximity sensors and obstacle avoidance on our drones that prevents us from hitting things. Surely there is a way to prevent drones from being in an area where they shouldn’t be.

I’m trying to think outside the box here. Making laws to prevent this type of thing will only help so much. They keep the good guys in line. What about the bad guys that couldn’t care less about a 107 or the other items you mentioned. They could very well use a drone(s) to assist the criminals in executing the crime by preventing LEOs from working the scene with helicopters etc.

As a LEO wouldn’t you want a “tool” like this to prevent unauthorized drones from entering the area or are you content with having a “rule” that says you can’t? I’m not trying to agitate you, I’m trying to brainstorm a real solution. Btw my wife is retired RCMP and my dad was a fire chief. My intentions are sincere.

 

[GFields]

SMH. Just you know, fame and glory often come with a steep price tag.

 

[JOE CHRONIC]

Joe
I am a drone user like you. I learn from you as you learn from me . Thank you for sharing your experience because it make me think and help me to become more experienced and wise. I find fascinating to be in a crime scene and see with my own eyes ( or my drone) the crime in action. But I sense something is wrong. And I want to share this feeling with you. Because you are a drone user and a member of this forum. I am sorry if somehow upset you. It is just I am trying with my own way to find what is "right" or safe for all of us. Nobody is perfect...

Thank you

 

[JOE CHRONIC]

My whole point was don’t openly brag about flying illegally on a public forum while also posting the evidence.???

Big Brother does indeed exist.

If I was worried I wouldn't be posting, but thanks and no hard feelings...

 

[JOE CHRONIC]

Your response makes a lot of assumptions about my post. First and foremost I’m not suggesting that people would fly to a crisis area and interfere. It was quite the opposite. I was suggesting a way for drones to co-exist in a situation like this.

Perhaps emergency personnel could have some sort of beacon attached to them that prevents drones from operating in the area. Sort of like a TNFZ that broadcasts from the device.

Just because there are laws intended to prevent this type of thing doesn’t mean it won’t happen again whether intentional or not.

What about a scenario where a drone is already in the air and a situation occurs. Perhaps a bank robbery like the one in this thread. As law enforcement begin to arrive it would push the drone away using some sort of TNFZ bubble that pushes the drone away from the area.

We have proximity sensors and obstacle avoidance on our drones that prevents us from hitting things. Surely there is a way to prevent drones from being in an area where they shouldn’t be.

I’m trying to think outside the box here. Making laws to prevent this type of thing will only help so much. They keep the good guys in line. What about the bad guys that couldn’t care less about a 107 or the other items you mentioned. They could very well use a drone(s) to assist the criminals in executing the crime by preventing LEOs from working the scene with helicopters etc.

As a LEO wouldn’t you want a “tool” like this to prevent unauthorized drones from entering the area or are you content with having a “rule” that says you can’t? I’m not trying to agitate you, I’m trying to brainstorm a real solution. Btw my wife is retired RCMP and my dad was a fire chief. My intentions are sincere.

I'm working on my 107 as we speak and will be working with local news and PD when I get licensed.
Thank you for your thoughts and have a great day

 

[JOE CHRONIC]

SMH. Just you know, fame and glory often come with a steep price tag.

Well I'm definitely not famous, lol nor was I trying to imply that and I have been paying steep prices my whole life.
Thanks for your insight...

 

[BigAl07]

I'm working on my 107 as we speak and will be working with local news and PD when I get licensed.
Thank you for your thoughts and have a great day

I hope you learn, understand, and FOLLOW the rules much better than you have thus far. If not, you might be in for a rude awakening when working in the "public's eye". See, when you fly for an agency you put not only yourself in the spotlight but the entire agency and whoever sponsors (County Commissioners etc) the agency. Most Public Safety/ES Agencies go well out of their way to reduce risk and the potential for negative view from the public and your actions do just the opposite.

If you fly for them the way you've flown for yourself it isn't going to be pretty or a very long relationship.

 

[pinballwiz86]

There’s pigeons out there that weigh more than a DJI Mavic Air 2. Some of you take this drone hobby way too seriously. FAA included.