The operator of a drone that collided last year with a U.S. Army Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawk had “only a general cursory awareness of regulations and good operating practices,” including a requirement to fly the drone where he could see it, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) says.
In its final report on the Sept. 21, 2017, midair collision near New York’s Hoffman Island, the NTSB cited as the probable cause the drone operator’s “failure … to see and avoid the helicopter due to his intentional flight beyond visual line of sight.” A contributing factor was the operator’s “incomplete knowledge of the regulations and safe operating practices.”
No one was injured in the collision, which occurred in visual meteorological conditions at 1920 local time, two minutes before the end of civil twilight and the official start of darkness. The Black Hawk received minor damage, including a dent on a rotor blade, and the drone, a Dà-Jiang Innovations (DJI) Ph…
