What happened
On February 6, 2020, at approximately 1200 PST, an Airbus AS-350BA helicopter, registration N611TC, collided with a DJI Mavic 2 Zoom small unmanned aircraft (sUAS) near Johnson Valley, California. Both aircraft were participating in video coverage for the "King of the Hammers" off-road racing event.
At the time of the collision, the drone was following a racing vehicle up a dirt track in hilly terrain. Video footage and pilot accounts indicate the helicopter was visible in the drone's camera, positioned above and to the right of the sUAS. As the racing vehicle moved around a small rise in the terrain, the drone continued its path toward the helicopter's position, resulting in a collision. The helicopter sustained minor scratches to the right side of its windscreen, while the drone suffered substantial damage, including the separation of its right rear motor arm.
There were no injuries resulting from the incident.
The investigation
The investigation examined the flight operations of both aircraft. The helicopter was operating under 14 CFR Part 91 with an FAA waiver for minimum altitudes, while the sUAS was operated under 14 CFR Part 107. The helicopter pilot reported seeing the drone earlier in the flight and had flown away from it, later returning to the course under the assumption that he was at a safe distance.
The drone pilot, acting as the remote pilot in command (RPIC), was operating without a visual observer. While the drone's telemetry showed the helicopter was in view, the RPIC continued to follow the race vehicle. The investigation found that the drone pilot was not included in the pre-race organizational meeting and had not been provided with the race layout maps provided to the helicopter pilots. Furthermore, the drone pilot was not monitoring the helicopter's air-to-air radio frequency.
Flight logs from the drone's remote controller had been erased by the owner, and the data recovered from the sUAS itself was unreadable due to power cycles following the accident. However, video files from the drone were recovered and provided a record of the flight and the collision.
Findings
- The drone pilot was aware that helicopters were operating in the area but did not use a visual observer to assist with traffic avoidance.
- There was no established procedure or communication link to ensure separation between the sUAS and the manned aircraft.
- The race organizers did not include the sUAS operations in the formal risk mitigation or aviation activity planning.
- The drone pilot failed to yield the right of way to the helicopter as required by 14 CFR 107.37.