Drone blamed for Helicopter Crash in South Carolina

[Wayno1]

Shoot, I read the above as SKATE park first off.....WTF is a helicopter doin' flyin' low over a Skate park.... doofus!

Lmfao

 

[Babbe]

Questions remain after drone collides with helicopter on Kauai

 

[RayOZ]

maybe it was the guy who did the one way litchi successful mission?
perhaps the helicopter pilot should've pulled up? then find a safe spot to land.

 

[Drone on]

Student screwed up, instructor tried to correct but failed, both concocted a story to CYA and blamed a drone. Now if they were flying as they said and some irresponsible person flew their phantom intentionally and caused them to crash then that person should be held accountable, but if it was made up story to CYA then they should be held accountable.

I suspect there's some truth in this

 

[GFCutler]

See story below:
Charleston helicopter crash blamed on drone; FAA investigating

Just where can we fly?
If we're within 1000 miles of controlled airspace we're breaking the law. (not really)
If we're below 140 ft we're crashing into choppers on purpose.
In the UK a light aircraft that's flying VFR, has to be above 1500 ft agl (ANO Rule 5)
How long before the CAA and FAA both bring out a role saying we're only allowed to fly between 139ft 10 in - 140ft.
And if you're caught flying with an 'R' in the month, the fine doubles!

 

[Cookedinlh]

I suspect there's some truth in this

ie truth in the "cover story" concocted by the crew . . .

Have to agree with all these original posts. As an LOH military pilot with 3000+hrs on Bell 206 equipment and years as combat flying instructor . . . you never blame a student or immovable objects for a bad landing. Its all on the instructor. I have hit both birds and trees in that time without crashing so as a UAV pilot now I have to place that kind of a screw up on the instructor. Even if a drone appeared 10feet in front of him, flying into a tree is just bad flying technique. . . or a bad reaction at the very least. . . "2 extra duals and a re-ride"

"Any landing where you can still get the doors open is a good landing . . . when nothing around you LOOKS like a door . . . that's a bad landing."

 

[sar104]

Just where can we fly?
If we're within 1000 miles of controlled airspace we're breaking the law. (not really)
If we're below 140 ft we're crashing into choppers on purpose.
In the UK a light aircraft that's flying VFR, has to be above 1500 ft agl (ANO Rule 5)
How long before the CAA and FAA both bring out a role saying we're only allowed to fly between 139ft 10 in - 140ft.
And if you're caught flying with an 'R' in the month, the fine doubles!

That's an unwarranted slippery slope argument - is anyone or any agency actually proposing such restrictions?

Aside from that you left out the basic requirement of flying within VLOS. If this incident did involve a drone/helicopter encounter (and there has been no evidence provided to suggest that it did not), and whether or not the helicopter pilot(s) responded competently or not, had the drone been flying within VLOS then the operator would have had plenty of time to remove the drone from the vicinity. That's all that would have been needed - no additional requirements.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

I think the only way a drone could bring down a helicopter is if it went at high speed directly into the rotor, and even then, I think the rotor would eat it for breakfast and not even flinch, of course the helicopter pilot could panic and crash into a tree, nice job dummy.

Nope - into the windshield. Ever see a windshield on a Robinson or for that matter a light GA aircraft?

 

[Cyberpower678]

Why I carry a dash cam.

That's what i was thinking too.

Drones are like the cats/dogs of the road, only for the air

"So how did you crash into that tree, were you not paying attention, on the phone etc etc"

"No officer, a dog ran out in front of me and i had to swerve to avoid it and i hit the tree"

"That's a convenient excuse"

"You try and prove it didnt"

 

[FLYBOYJ]

Shoot, I read the above as SKATE park first off.....WTF is a helicopter doin' flyin' low over a Skate park.... doofus!

WTF is a drone doing flying in the path of a helicopter?!?!

US FARs allow low level flight by helicopters. The tour helicopter was 100% in the right!!!

Story here;

Questions remain after drone collides with helicopter on Kauai

 

[Andrew F]

WTF is a drone doing flying in the path of a helicopter?!?!

US FARs allow low level flight by helicopters. The tour helicopter was 100% in the right!!!

Story here;

Questions remain after drone collides with helicopter on Kauai

It's an information-less article. No info on the actual "crash." I for one believe helicopters should have a floor of 400 feet except when landing, taking off, or hovering. Where I fly, random helicopters will do high speed passes at 200 feet. Irritating .

 

[Photo Booth]

"Honest, officer, a deer ran across the road and I swerved to miss it and hit the tree."

Mark

 

[Riteguy]

I am not defending the drone pilot but how do we know the helicopter didn’t fly in the location of the drone. Automatically the drone pilot is blamed.

Do helicopter instructors have to fly in specific areas and if so do they have to register flight plans or can they fly were they want?

Exactly! My understanding is helicopters should not fly below 500' (fixed wing not below 1,000') unless they are landing or taking off, and I would imagine if they were training at an elevation of 50' above tree top, that type of training should be done at an airport. That airspace would have been proper for a drone operator.

 

[Lapeer20m]

I had a helo sneak up on me once.

My mavic was prob 300' away, 130agl.

My estimate is that the chopper was traveling more than 100mph at about 130'agl.

We ended up within a few hundred yards of each other just before sunset.

It was windy and the manned aircraft came from the direction of the sun (from my perspective)

I did not hear the chopper until it had already passed mavic.

There was probably 1000 feet separation between us, but it was too close for my comfort.

I can understand how drones and helicopters could end up in close proximity.

 

[FlyGuyNH]

I am not a pilot. I do not know the intricacies of piloting a plane or helicopter. But I do drive a car. If a squirrel runs out into the road, I run it over. I don't swerve and hit a tree to save a squirrel. Wouldn't the same logic apply here?

No, it does not. An R-22 is a fragile little machine, but even in a bigger fixed wing the instinct is to avoid, not collide. Having said that, the whole story sounds a bit fishy to me. (MP owner, fixed-wing and helo pilot.)

 

[FlyGuyNH]

Exactly! My understanding is helicopters should not fly below 500' (fixed wing not below 1,000') unless they are landing or taking off, and I would imagine if they were training at an elevation of 50' above tree top, that type of training should be done at an airport. That airspace would have been proper for a drone operator.

You would be wrong. The only altitude limitation for a helicopter (in uncontrolled airspace) is enough altitude to make a safe landing in the event of an engine failure. With proper airspeed that can be one foot. (Rated helo pilot)

 

[BigCat991]

Just where can we fly?
If we're within 1000 miles of controlled airspace we're breaking the law. (not really)
If we're below 140 ft we're crashing into choppers on purpose.
In the UK a light aircraft that's flying VFR, has to be above 1500 ft agl (ANO Rule 5)
How long before the CAA and FAA both bring out a role saying we're only allowed to fly between 139ft 10 in - 140ft.
And if you're caught flying with an 'R' in the month, the fine doubles!

I think you should go and read the ANO in a bit more detail because what you have posted is not correct.

 

[TxArch DroneGuy]

I am not defending the drone pilot but how do we know the helicopter didn’t fly in the location of the drone. Automatically the drone pilot is blamed.

Do helicopter instructors have to fly in specific areas and if so do they have to register flight plans or can they fly were they want?

Remote Pilots always always must give right if way to any and all manner aircraft; No ExCEptions

 

[lisadoc]

Aside from that you left out the basic requirement of flying within VLOS. If this incident did involve a drone/helicopter encounter (and there has been no evidence provided to suggest that it did not)

And to date, there's been no evidence to suggest that it did (other than the word of the two people that ended up crashing the helicopter).

We'll see what plays out here. If it turns out that there ends up being no evidence that a drone was involved, it will probably just fade into the background and we won't get a "retraction" or corrected story. It'll just be burned into the subconscious of the general public that a drone brought down some helicopter somewhere.

 

[Skymax]

This will be an interesting one to follow; once the facts are known. I'm not a helo guy, what are "Low impact and hover techniques"? The helo pilot says the Phantom "entered his airspace"...How big is a manned A/C's airspace? While UAS's must give way to manned A/C, "see and avoid" would come into play would it not?

If the facts prove out, it's hard to imagine the UAS pilot is going to avoid big trouble, but certainly more facts should be forthcoming.

I have had a commercial license for 40 years. interestingly in General Aviation here Altitude is measured in Feet, distance in Nautical Miles and Horizontal Distance from other Aircraft in Metres. 600 Metres is the distance you must keep from other aircraft here. Of course Australia has the most complex and pedantic Flight Rules and Procedures of any country in the World. America has far more liberal tolerances.