Drone Delays DHART Helicopter Taking Off With Seriously Injured Woman

[PaulNH]

I was saddened to see this happen in my home state of NH. The police have the information on the drone operator. Hopefully the FAA will receive a copy of it and take action. The drone operator clearly opened themselves up for huge civil labilities, for their actions.

Drone Delays DHART Helicopter Taking Off With Seriously Injured Woman

A Fitchburg, Mass., woman was seriously injured in a Mason motorcycle crash; was being transported from New Ipswich when a drone appeared.

patch.com

 

[BigAl07]

I was saddened to see this happen in my home state of NH. The police have the information on the drone operator. Hopefully the FAA will receive a copy of it and take action. The drone operator clearly opened themselves up for huge civil labilities, for their actions.

Drone Delays DHART Helicopter Taking Off With Seriously Injured Woman

A Fitchburg, Mass., woman was seriously injured in a Mason motorcycle crash; was being transported from New Ipswich when a drone appeared.

patch.com

Thank you for sharing this story.

That drone operator should be hung by his/her toenails in public and have it Live Streamed on every channel available. Make an example out of this rude, selfish, and irresponsible stunt.

I'm curious to see if any of our members here even make an attempt to defend the actions of this drone operator. I surely hope not . . . .

@Vic Moss have you seen this story on your radar yet?

 

[Cafguy]

"The pilot indicated until the drone was cleared from the area, he would not take off. After 10 to 15 minutes, the drone was landed by the operator."

WOW That has to be the most irresponsible thing I have ever heard. Risking the lives of people to get a shot is simply selfish and crazy.
I hope the Drone pilot gets made an example of. and the women should sue the Drone pilot for endangering her life!

 

[landmark orbiter]

While the drone operator was clearly an idiot - and in the wrong - one must not forget that motor vehicles kill and maim 10,000s of people per year in the US alone. Is that acceptable?

Imagine if the rules for motor vehicles were as stringent as for those with drones so there virtually zero accidents, let alone deaths? There’d be nobody driving.

Perhaps it is instead the perpetrators of these vehicle accidents that should be “hung by the toenails?” and have it live-streamed?

 

[MS Coast]

I've read your post three times and tried my best to find a lucid point, but I've failed.

While the drone operator was clearly an idiot - and in the wrong - one must not forget that motor vehicles kill and maim 10,000s of people per year in the US alone. Is that acceptable?

How is this related? Cancer kills thousands each year. Falls in the bathroom injure about 100,000 people per year.

Imagine if the rules for motor vehicles were as stringent as for those with drones so there virtually zero accidents, let alone deaths? There’d be nobody driving.

The regulations for recreational use of drones are definitely not "stringent." By your logic, no one is flying drones.

Perhaps it is instead the perpetrators of these vehicle accidents that should be “hung by the toenails?” and have it live-streamed?

Where drivers ignore laws and common sense and cause accidents, yes they should be punished. But it's not an either/or situation.

 

[SethB]

While the drone operator was clearly an idiot - and in the wrong - one must not forget that motor vehicles kill and maim 10,000s of people per year in the US alone. Is that acceptable?

Imagine if the rules for motor vehicles were as stringent as for those with drones so there virtually zero accidents, let alone deaths? There’d be nobody driving.

Perhaps it is instead the perpetrators of these vehicle accidents that should be “hung by the toenails?” and have it live-streamed?

Motor vehicle regs *are* far more stringent than those for drones.
- Photo ID not very subject to fakes
- Driver’s license driving tests, not just knowledge tests
- Vision tests
- Vehicle safety & emissions standards
- Don’t drive on the sidewalk. Or the wrong way down one-way streets. Or through that locked gate. Or on privately owned property. Or on the beach. Or in the river.
- Hundreds of thousands (millions?) of enforcement officers world-wide, and a courts system for legal proceedings.

How can you even suggest that drone regs are more stringent than those for automobiles? Give it a moment’s thought.

A better parallel to the event coverage linked by the OP would be:
How should society deal with a person who deliberately parks their car blocking in an ambulance carrying someone in critical condition?

 

[mobilehomer]

While the drone operator was clearly an idiot - and in the wrong - one must not forget that motor vehicles kill and maim 10,000s of people per year in the US alone. Is that acceptable?

Imagine if the rules for motor vehicles were as stringent as for those with drones so there virtually zero accidents, let alone deaths? There’d be nobody driving.

Perhaps it is instead the perpetrators of these vehicle accidents that should be “hung by the toenails?” and have it live-streamed?

Motor vehicles do NOT kill anyone!!! It IS the driver who does the killing!

 

[GFields]

Ok folks, don't let one post get this thread side-tracked.​

The article states, "As the pilot prepared for take-off, the helicopter crew and personnel on the ground noticed a drone flying above the landing zone and aborted taking off. The pilot indicated until the drone was cleared from the area, he would not take off. After 10 to 15 minutes, the drone was landed by the operator."

A 10-15 min delay could be the difference in life and death. I'm praying for Jessica Westover the motorcycle operator for a complete and full recovery. Also, praying for the pick-up truck driver as I'm sure it's a difficult time for him as well.

 

[BobaFut]

I would think that the local authorities could charge the pilot with obstructing emergency response or whatever, rather than just letting the FAA go after him...could be the difference between civil and criminal liability for the pilot.

 

[Cafguy]

I know here in California you don't want to get anywhere close to emergency situations with a drone. They most certainly will prosecute you.
In fact each year the state sends little posters out to the RC clubs Warning anyone that should want to try it. and if a victim dies because you delayed medical support with your drone- Well welcome to San Quentin. Wednesday is Pizza night!

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

This is the sort of thread topic / article that should be read by those on the Canadian wildfire type thread, where they feel it isn't really doing harm to fly in emergency airspace.

 

[WanderLost]

This is the sort of thread topic / article that should be read by those on the Canadian wildfire type thread, where they feel it isn't really doing harm to fly in emergency airspace.

Warnings have been all over the news here asking drone operators to stay far away from the fires. I don't think the kind of people who fly near accidents/fires, etc., care about following laws or reading or paying attention to warnings.

Look at all the issues with distracted drivers on cell phones. It's a known issue, there are fines and warnings everywhere and many many people still do it.

 

[BigAl07]

Great thread shared just a few minutes ago:

Drone operator in McDougall Creek Wildfire zone caught, faces fines up to $100,000

A drone operator in Canada was caught interfering with efforts to fight a wildfire in British Columbia and now faces fines of up to $100k CA. Conservation officers supporting firefighting efforts on the McDougall Creek Wildfire in and around West Kelowna seized a drone on Sunday while...

mavicpilots.com

 

[HoozierDroneDaddy]

As dangerous and irresponsible as it was, there is one fact that has not been mentioned. Was this a 107 pilot or some kid that his parents bought the drone for them to play with. That has not been mentioned. A continuing problem is drones are sold in a variety of stores with no warnings or advisement to parents, minors, or anyone in the general public that there are rules to follow when flying a drone for business, or for pleasure. And as serious as this was, a teenager, or even an adult with no common sense may not realize the effects and dangers they are causing by flying near an emergency. They are just enjoying the thrill of watching the event.

DJI will not put notices in the box with their drones due to their selling to many countries. Maybe someday there will be an agency requirement that a flyer/notice be provided by the stores selling them. It won't stop everyone from flying dangerously, but it might stop that one flight that causes someone's death due to delaying a lifeline flight.

 

[EricJT]

The expression "ignorance of the law is no excuse" comes to mind....personal responsibility should not be rationalized by blaming the manufacturers.

 

[HoozierDroneDaddy]

The expression "ignorance of the law is no excuse" comes to mind....personal responsibility should not be rationalized by blaming the manufacturers.

Not blaming the manufacturers, but minors and under educated general public may not know anything about the FAA, or that drones are not just a new toy to go out and play with. With the fact that they fly at great distances and height. There should be some type of notice or education associated with the purchase of a drone.

 

[anotherlab]

As dangerous and irresponsible as it was, there is one fact that has not been mentioned. Was this a 107 pilot or some kid that his parents bought the drone for them to play with. That has not been mentioned. A continuing problem is drones are sold in a variety of stores with no warnings or advisement to parents, minors, or anyone in the general public that there are rules to follow when flying a drone for business, or for pleasure. And as serious as this was, a teenager, or even an adult with no common sense may not realize the effects and dangers they are causing by flying near an emergency. They are just enjoying the thrill of watching the event.

DJI will not put notices in the box with their drones due to their selling to many countries. Maybe someday there will be an agency requirement that a flyer/notice be provided by the stores selling them. It won't stop everyone from flying dangerously, but it might stop that one flight that causes someone's death due to delaying a lifeline flight.

AFAIK, it wasn't a kid. Not that would excuse what he did. Apparently, he was posting the videos on his "professional drone pilot" Instagram account until he got called out for it on Reddit.

DJI does put information in their manuals about following safety guidelines and provides links to videos on their site.

It's really hard to make reading or viewing safety information idiot-proof as they keep coming out with new and improved idiots. It comes down to ignorance is no excuse.

Around here we just had a drone operator fined for operating a drone in the Adirondack Park. He was filming a swimmer/activist who was swimming the entire length of the Hudson River. It was an honest mistake, but he was still fined.

 

[Parkerjh]

Without more information, I'm apalled at the quick jump to judgement and the willingness to call the operator selfish and hanging him out to dry.

Med fights can land and be on the ground for quite some time before patient is packaged and stabilized and ready for take off. These on the fly landing zones are often high schools, parks or other municipal land that are in unrestricted airspace.

It's entirely possible the operator had no Godly clue there was a helicopter several hundred yards away awaiting takeoff. How would they have known?

 

[RussOnTheRoad]

While the drone operator was clearly an idiot - and in the wrong - one must not forget that motor vehicles kill and maim 10,000s of people per year in the US alone. Is that acceptable?

Imagine if the rules for motor vehicles were as stringent as for those with drones so there virtually zero accidents, let alone deaths? There’d be nobody driving.

Perhaps it is instead the perpetrators of these vehicle accidents that should be “hung by the toenails?” and have it live-streamed?

There is a lot of stupid behavior that many people feel is not met with commensurate punishment. Perhaps we can leave the discussion of those things not directly related to drones for other, more relevant forums.

 

[EssenYVR]

I feel like all emergency transports should be outfitted with a megaphone so that the crew can loudly announce "there's a drone flying and it's preventing us from taking off to save this person's life. Land immediately!".

Not to excuse the idiot who was flying the drone in this situation, but he may have assumed that as long as the helicopter was on the ground he was OK. I'd like to believe that he would have landed if he knew he was delaying the evacuation. Having emergency personnel sitting on the ground without any effective way to deal with the situation seems shortsighted.

RID may help, but I'll bet a megaphone would get a faster response in most situations. Sure, in some cases the operator may be out of megaphone distance. But don't let perfect be the enemy of good.