Air investigators have ruled the safety of a helicopter tasked to assist a patient in an Aberdeenshire town was compromised by a drone in the sky.
The EC135 aircraft was looking for a suitable place to land in Stonehaven when the pilot spotted a small dark grey quadcopter drone flying within 40ft of them.
The helicopter from Aberdeen had been deployed to the coastal town on August 13 to help a patient, who was around 500ft from the shoreline in the town centre.
Crew members had initially planned to land at the beach, however, they had to change route and find a new spot due to a bank of sea fog lying a few hundred feet offshore.
‘High risk of collision’
As the aircraft was circulating over the town centre to locate a new landing site, the pilot saw an object flying at the same level and very close to the aircraft.
An Airprox investigation report has explained it was difficult for the pilot to accurately assess the exact distance, but they could clearly see the main body of the drone pointing at the helicopter, and the small vertical fins under the rotors.
The pilot reported the sighting to Aberdeen radar and was later advised to land in a park, around one mile away from the patient.
Paramedics made their way to the patient and after consulting the duty engineering manager, the aircraft was cleared to fly back to Aberdeen.
The pilot reported the risk of collision as “high”.
However, the Airprox watchdog has now concluded that given the pilot’s overall account of the incident, the drone had “reduced the safety of the helicopter” there was “no risk” of collision.
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