New York Drone, Helicopter Collision: Here's What Caused It

HOFFMAN ISLAND, NY — User error was behind a September collision between a drone and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter near Hoffman Island, New York, federal safety regulators concluded on Thursday. The National Transportation Safety Board said the operator of the unmanned aircraft deliberately flew the drone out of visual range and didn't have adequate knowledge of regulations and safe operating practices.

On Sept. 21, a DJI Phantom 4 small drone collided with a U.S. Army Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter about 300 feet in the air. The operator flew the drone 2.5 miles away despite an FAA prohibition on drone flights beyond the sight of an operator, the report said. The operator didn't notice the helicopter on the tablet he was using to direct the drone until it was too late.

While the helicopter landed safely, the drone was destroyed.

"A 1 1/2 – inch dent was found on the leading edge of one of the helicopter’s four main rotor blades and parts of the drone were found lodged in the helicopter’s engine oil cooler fan," the agency said.

The drone operator didn't know what had happened until an NTSB investigator contacted him, officials said. The operator was also not aware of temporary flight restrictions that were in place at the time because of presidential travel and a United Nations General Assembly session. He was flying recreationally and did not have a Federal Aviation Administration remote pilot certificate, investigators said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Photo credit: JanBaby via Pixabay