History of Flight
On February 6, 2020, at about 1200 Pacific standard time, an Airbus AS-350BA helicopter (registration N611TC) and a Dai-Jiang Innovations DJI Mavic 2 Zoom small unmanned aircraft (drone, registration FA37NAYXP9) collided in flight while both were filming an off-road truck race, the King of the Hammers, near Johnson Valley, California. The helicopter operated under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 and an FAA Certificate of Authorization or Waiver; the drone operated under Part 107. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed.
Video from the drone and accounts from both pilots indicated the two aircraft were following a vehicle climbing an undulating dirt track in hilly canyon terrain. The drone’s camera showed the helicopter above and to the right of the drone. As the track turned right, the helicopter passed left of the frame and out of view beyond a small rise. The vehicle track then turned left around the rise, and the collision occurred. The drone pilot reported his altitude was about 30 feet above ground, and he was aware that the incident helicopter and others were in the area. He operated alone without a visual observer. According to a race-organizer map, the intended position of the drone pilot was about 2,300 feet from the collision, but both pilots indicated he was about 1,000 feet west, closer to the collision point.
The helicopter pilot reported seeing the drone earlier and flying away. On the incident lap, he stated the drone “popped up” in his line of sight, and he flew up course. He flew back toward the course assuming he was far enough away from where he previously saw the drone when the collision occurred.
Injuries to Persons
There were no injuries.
Damage to Aircraft
The helicopter received small scratches on the right side of the windscreen. The drone’s right rear motor arm was separated.
Personnel Information
The helicopter pilot held an FAA commercial pilot certificate with rotorcraft-helicopter and helicopter instrument ratings, and had logged 4,200 hours. He held a valid second-class medical certificate and reported 10 years of flying for this race and similar events. The drone pilot (RPIC) held an FAA Remote Pilot Certificate issued February 1, 2019, with no other aircraft certificates or ratings. He reported 90 total hours, with 16 hours on the Mavic type drone, and did not have operating manuals or checklists for the operation.
Aircraft Information
The helicopter was a 1988 Airbus (Eurocopter) AS-350BA, a six-seat single-engine helicopter powered by a Turbomeca Arriel 1B turboshaft engine. The drone was a DJI Mavic 2 Zoom, a pro-sumer quadcopter weighing about 2 pounds, equipped with a 12 MP zoom camera and an obstacle avoidance system. The manual states the obstacle avoidance system is not available in Sport mode and does not function with moving objects or closing speeds above about 25 miles per hour. The drone was controlled by a DJI Smart Controller.
Meteorological Information
Barstow-Daggett County Airport, about 25 miles north, reported at 1150 PST: wind from 290° at 10 knots, visibility 10 miles, clear skies. Temperature was 18°C, dewpoint -7°C, sea level pressure 30.10 inches of mercury.
Communications
The incident pilots were not in communication with each other, nor was there any provision or requirement to do so. Helicopter pilots covering the course communicated with each other via a common air-to-air frequency; drone pilots did not use or monitor radio communications.
Flight Data
The helicopter was not equipped with flight data recording devices. Flight logs from the drone remote controller were erased by the owner upon return of equipment, as the owner was unaware an incident had occurred. Logs from the drone were downloaded by the NTSB with DJI engineers, but the files were corrupt and unreadable, likely due to post-incident power cycles. Video files from the drone were recovered and showed the flight and collision.
Organizational and Management Information
Hammerking Productions, Inc., the event promoter, used a third-party contractor for live video production, which hired the helicopter and drone pilots. Pre-race information was provided to helicopter pilots, including paperwork, flight times, insurance, procedures, maps, and radio frequencies. A pilot meeting on February 2 included helicopter pilots and event management but not drone pilots. Five helicopters and four drones were contracted. Organizers stated drones were limited to less than 400 feet and helicopters required to remain above 500 feet in spectator areas; the collision area was not accessible to spectators.
Hammerking Productions leased drones from a commercial company and provided them to pilots. The incident RPIC was hired under a verbal contract, his second time doing this. He noted that RPICs at this race “fly really low and there are a lot of crashes.” He stated no contact occurred between RPICs and helicopter pilots pre-race or during the event, and he was not provided maps or procedural material. Hammerking returned all equipment to the leasing company immediately after the event, unaware of evidence preservation requirements following a midair collision.