A helicopter operating during Wednesday’s Hawken Fire in Reno had a near miss with a hobby drone as the remotely-operated device flew underneath the aircraft.
Doug Russell, chief pilot and deputy for the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office’s Special Operations Division, was headed back to the airport around 8 p.m. after making a water drop when his co-pilot spotted the drone as it flew below their Regional Aviation Enforcement Unit or RAVEN helicopter.
“My co-pilot didn’t even have a chance to jump on the controls,” said Russell, who did not see the drone at first. “It happened that fast.”
Russell was eventually able to locate the drone, which he says had the familiar red markings of a DJI Phantom quadcopter. Russell watched as it landed at Village Green Park near Caughlin Ranch Elementary School and continued visual contact until authorities arrived on the scene to talk to a teenager and older man who were operating the drone. First-time offenders of drone safety laws usually get a warning.
Tracking and confirming the drone’s location was important because of its potential impact on air operations in the area, Russell said.
“At a minimum, it could have shut down aircraft operations for the fire,” Russell said. “Now you’re putting firefighters’ lives and people’s homes and property in jeopardy.”
The incident also could have been far worse if the drone made physical contact with the helicopter. At the time, the HH-1H Huey helicopter was traveling at a speed of 80 knots, or about 90 miles per hour, Russell said. Even if it was just a glancing blow, hitting a drone at that speed would “probably ruin your day,” Russell quipped as he referenced the many moving parts of a helicopter.
“Because the rotors are spinning at a high RPM, things will start catastrophically failing once the system is out of balance,” Russell said. “It will start taking itself apart.”
Reports of sightings and near misses between aircraft and unmanned aerial systems have accelerated at a significant pace in the last year as drones become more popular. In 2014, the Federal Aviation Administration saw less than one close encounter per day between drones and aircraft. By 2015, the number jumped to 3.5 per day.
The FAA now receives more than 100 drone sighting reports per month from pilots, law enforcement and citizens. The agency logged in more than 580 drone sighting reports between August 21, 2015 and January 31, 2016. The reports include sightings around airports and firefighting locations. The close encounters involve a variety of aircraft, including commercial airlines as well as hospital and law enforcement helicopters.
“Operating drones around airplanes, helicopters and airports is dangerous and illegal,” according to the FAA. “Unauthorized operators may be subject to stiff fines and criminal charges, including possible jail time.”
California so far has accounted for the majority of close encounters between drones and aircraft. FAA data show close to 200 reports of such encounters in the state in the last couple of years. In April, pilots for a British Airways flight thought they were struck by a drone while landing at Heathrow Airport in London. Government officials, however, ultimately ruled the contact was not a drone incident, citing lack of evidence. One government official said it could have actually been a plastic bag.
Russell says drone issues typically boil down to one thing: lack of education. Drones may look like toys but operating them is serious business. The FAA has several regulations regarding drones, including registration requirements.
Standard operating procedure also calls for contacting an airport if one is flown within five miles of its location. The drone that nearly collided with the RAVEN helicopter, for example, was definitely within five miles of Reno-Tahoe International Airport when they encountered it, Russell said.
“Whether you’re a hobbyist or a commercial or governmental operator, you have to abide by the rules because ignorance is not an excuse,” Russell said. “It doesn’t matter whether you’re flying 1 foot or 400 feet off the ground — you are operating on national airspace.”
Photo: Two of the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office’s helicopters, including the Regional Aviation Enforcement Unit (RAVEN) Huey.(Photo: Washoe County)
Source: Reno Gazette Journal
Funny, nobody is saying what altitude the Drone was at, What altitude the Helicopter was at, how close it was, etc. My local County and Police Helicopters ROUTINELY fly below the FAA recommended altitudes and although the Minimum altitude for Helicopters is rather vague, 500 feet is a generally and widely accepted minimum height.
I will be the first to say that flying anywhere near a fire is a bone head move, but as far as I can tell, this was not anywhere near a fire, it was in the city at a vacant school ground. Before you start, Yes they should have descended as hard as they could the second they saw or heard the helicopter. But just because you see it does not mean they were doing anything wrong. They are allowed to fly up to 400 feet. Was the pilot a little low on the way back? Did he take a shortcut?
I would like to see the FAA’s tape on this to see if there is not a little blame to share for all here. The New York Police helicopter incident a year or more back was a situation of the helicopter seeing the two drones flying over the bridge and he altered course to get a closer look. HE approached the drones, not vice versa as the media reported.
The reports of drones are VASTLY almost Criminally inflated, look at the AMA review of the FAA report, and you see 94% were not drones, or could not be quantified. The Drone in London at Heathrow was “Most Probably a Plastic Bag” according to the government. There was NO damage to the aircraft, not even paint transfer or a minor dent, so Don’t believe everything you hear.
Are you that stupid!!! The 6th and 7th words put together is haken fire!! And I’m a fire fighter from the town and it was inside the fire area. Helicopters Hoover low when dropping water so they are well below 400 feet when dropping water, if they are to high the water will evaporate before it would hit the fire. Also during a fire the air space is closed around the fire through the FAA.