Another drone related aircraft incident

Geo_in_KS · Feb 16, 2018

We better be on our toes. I can see authorities getting more vigilant with every one of these reports.
What May Be U.S.’s First Drone-Linked Aircraft Crash Is Being Investigated

ArrUnTuS · Feb 16, 2018

This is gonna get regular. In the end, even amateurs will have to obtain a flight license, even if it is much simpler than the professionals. Simply informing them of what they can or cannot do would be enough to prevent 99% of these incidents and accidents. 1% of the brainless would remain.

Right now anyone can go to a supermarket and buy a drone that can lift thousands of feet and put human lives at risk.

It is very sad to see when there are still people who do not give this issue the importance it has.

BigAl07 · Feb 16, 2018

This will be one to watch carefully. It upsets the whole thought process of "Drones won't take down an airplane".... it doesn't have to take it down it just has to disrupt the flight enough to endanger others.

ArrUnTuS · Feb 16, 2018

And we're getting into the most extreme cases. But simply having to abort the takeoff or landing is enough to take action. There is nothing more important than the well-being of people. These are things you can avoid. These incidents cost a lot of money, not just for repairs, fuel, insurance and so on. We're all gonna get injured.

We as professionals, who already "suffer" from the amount of paperwork and rules we have to follow, should not see others tear down our good work without saying anything. In the end, I am clear that we are going to have to deal with a similar or the same regulation that applies to pilots of manned aircraft. And all for being irresponsible and "playing" with the well-being of others.

The sector has just been born and is growing very fast. In a few years' time it will be possible to carry out a multitude of different tasks with drones. A good regulation, both for professionals and for hobby flights is necessary so that we can all live together in the air.

AH-1G · Feb 16, 2018

Unfortunately there are people who don't care about some rules or regulations even if they do have a 107

, just think of those who have no ioda of current hobbyist rules.

I would believe the rotor wash would have affected the trajectory.
I'm surprised by the instructor,
As a real pilot we're always needing to be aware of our surroundings, as in this case and in my opinion the instructor over reacted, he should have pulled on the collective rather than swerving away.
But the FAA will figure it out. It is the fault of the DJI operator, and they will catch him! Not good news for SLAC's

AH-1G · Feb 16, 2018

BigAl07 said:
This will be one to watch carefully. It upsets the whole thought process of "Drones won't take down an airplane".... it doesn't have to take it down it just has to disrupt the flight enough to endanger others.

And in this instance it did disrupt the Instructor

Slade Steele · Feb 17, 2018

Being the skeptic that I am, I wonder if they were lying about the drone to justify a crash landing. Kind of like using the excuse that a dog ran out in front of your vehicle, causing you to swerve into a ditch. Just sayin'.

sar104 · Feb 17, 2018

Slade Steele said:
Being the skeptic that I am, I wonder if they were lying about the drone to justify a crash landing. Kind of like using the excuse that a dog ran out in front of your vehicle, causing you to swerve into a ditch. Just sayin'.

It's possible, but do you see any evidence supporting that explanation?

CenlaUAS · Feb 17, 2018

If they were practicing with a student, why were they so close to a tree? I would be in a big open field if I was an instructor with a student. Possible pilot error and blamed it on a drone.

Slade Steele · Feb 17, 2018

sar104 said:
It's possible, but do you see any evidence supporting that explanation?

I don't. But I also didn't see any evidence to support their claim. Not saying they were lying, just positing.

sar104 · Feb 17, 2018

Slade Steele said:
I don't. But I also didn't see any evidence to support their claim. Not saying they were lying, just positing.

Fair enough. But I guess I don't understand why you would not by default, in the absence of counter-evidence, tend to accept a report from a professional pilot. Obviously it could be a false report. Would you prefer that to be the case?

Slade Steele · Feb 17, 2018

sar104 said:
Fair enough. But I guess I don't understand why you would not by default, in the absence of counter-evidence, tend to accept a report from a professional pilot. Obviously it could be a false report. Would you prefer that to be the case?

Slade Steele · Feb 17, 2018

I think you are reading way more into this than I intended. My intention was never to impune the reputation of a professional pilot. I'm just saying that, since we don't have evidence either way, it's best not to jump to conclusions and consider there may be more than one explanation. And if it was caused by a drone, then I think the drone pilot should go to jail.

sar104 · Feb 17, 2018

Slade Steele said:
I think you are reading way more into this than I intended. My intention was never to impune the reputation of a professional pilot. I'm just saying that, since we don't have evidence either way, it's best not to jump to conclusions and consider there may be more than one explanation. And if it was caused by a drone, then I think the drone pilot should go to jail.

No problem. I guess I'm just dissatisfied by the more general tendency, especially over on PP and MP, for a large number of posters to jump to the immediate conclusion that it was likely, if not certain, that the pilot filed a false report. That looks like confirmation bias at its worst. My point is that we do have the evidence of the pilot report, and normally that kind of official reporting is not greeted by howls of "no evidence - prove it", except, it seems, in the UAV community when drones are involved.

Slade Steele · Feb 17, 2018

I both understand your point and I agree with you. My response was more of a tongue in cheek way to withhold final judgment until we have all the facts.

ArrUnTuS · Feb 17, 2018

The facts are that there has been an accident and that a drone is to blame for it. Let's wait for the final report of the event to give it the importance of the fact that there are a lot of bad drone pilots, by hobby or professional, who do things the wrong way?

Regardless of whether or not this drone is the ultimate culprit, don't you think the safety of people is more important? Do you think that attacking the pilot's credibility or reports is to defend the drone sector? Wouldn't it be better to accept that these cases pass and that they will continue to pass until the sector is well regulated and we can work quietly and legally?

If the drone is guilty of this accident, have you thought about the responsibilities that the pilot may have? Do you record what they can be? Wouldn't you rather it never happen to you? Don't you think that if we all follow a regulation based on the safety of all the parts that occupy airspace, it is also the best thing for drones that have to live together in that airspace as well?

When I read news of this type, these are some of the questions I ask myself. It makes me think that I would never do what the brainless man has done in the other case we've mentioned before, the Nevada plane case. That people's safety is above any kind of interest because I think I can ride on that plane or helicopter any day.

Boefinator · Feb 18, 2018

sar104 said:
It's possible, but do you see any evidence supporting that explanation?

Not to be obtuse, but I don't see evidence either way on this so far.

BigAl07 · Feb 18, 2018

Boefinator said:
Not to be obtuse, but I don't see evidence either way on this so far.

The word of the professional pilot and his student until proven otherwise. We aren't dealing with hobby operators but experienced and professional pilots within the industry.