The U.K. Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has found drones to be a useful and cost-effective tool at aviation accident sites, the agency says in its newly released Annual Safety Review 2016.
“The benefits of using drones to capture critical evidence at the crash site are proving to be substantial, particularly when used in conjunction with photogrammetry software to link and analyze the images,” Crispin Orr, chief inspector of air accidents, said in his foreword to the report.
In an Annual Safety Review 2016 article, which was adapted from a paper presented at the International Society of Air Safety Investigators annual meeting in October, the AAIB said it has traditionally relied on police or search-and-rescue helicopters to obtain aerial images of accident sites. While useful, these images have not always captured the angle or deta…
