What happened
On 15 December 2020, a Robinson R44 helicopter, operated by Helisud, was conducting an aerial photography mission over the Goro mine in New Caledonia. The flight, which included the pilot and two passengers, was authorized to operate within the NW R4 restricted area. Simultaneously, a Civil Defence team was operating a DJI Matrice 300 RTK drone in the same area to inspect a potential environmental contamination.
While the helicopter was flying at an altitude between 150 and 300 ft, the pilot spotted an object slightly above and to the left of his flight path. The pilot performed a slight right-hand evasive maneuver to maintain separation. At approximately the same time, the drone's spotter detected the helicopter. Following safety protocols, the remote pilot immediately initiated a vertical descent to land the drone. There were no injuries and no damage to either aircraft.
The investigation
The BEA examined flight logs, radio communications, and drone telemetry. The investigation established that both operators had received permission to operate within the restricted area from the mine's management, but they were not aware of each other's presence. The helicopter pilot had received clearance via telephone, while the drone team had been operating in the area since that morning.
Investigators found that while the Civil Defence team had notified the La Tontouta airport control tower, this information was not communicated to the Nouméa-Magenta controllers. Consequently, the helicopter pilot was not warned of the drone's presence. Additionally, no NOTAM was issued for the drone operation due to the urgent nature of the mission.