For those who, like me, were interested in the outcome of the investigation of the collision in New York between a Phantom 4 and U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopter:

NTSB Aviation Incident Final Report Blackhawk DJI Phantom collision

Wow - Myself living near a military training zone, I cringe when they fly down the beach here because they clearly push the boundaries of height.

4WDaus Posted at 2017-12-14 15:01
Wow - Myself living near a military training zone, I cringe when they fly down the beach here because they clearly push the boundaries of height.

I'm not sure about regulations in Australia, but at least in the United States civilian aircraft in general are allowed to fly below 500 feet while over open water (with some qualifications) and in many ways helicopters get more leeway than some other types of aircraft. Also, military aircraft like this helicopter aren't governed by FAA regulations, but they do have their own set of rules to follow that I've heard mimic those of the FAA in many respects.

You don't follow the rules... You pay. Pure and simple!

dronist Posted at 2017-12-14 15:13
You don't follow the rules... You pay. Pure and simple!

Oh, I'm sure he'll pay. In fact, I suspect that the FAA will choose to make an example of him.

This will be the beginning of the end of the hobby as we know it.

Oracle Miata Posted at 2017-12-14 15:18
This will be the beginning of the end of the hobby as we know it.

Just follow the rules and we ALL can keep flying! It is that simple dude!

dronist Posted at 2017-12-14 15:28
Just follow the rules and we ALL can keep flying! It is that simple dude!

Hey dude, I wasn't agreeing with the behavior.  I was commenting on the growing hobby and the lack of responsible pilots, but thanks for the condescending reply.  

1. We have a drone pilot not following the rules, he's in the doo doo
2. The FAA are surely going to take some action, severe..??
3. The FAA action will be the big headline news, to mask/detract from the blindly obvious

How could this have happened to a multi million dollar state of the art military craft..??
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure the implications of this, and it's vulnerabilities..!!

Wow there was a TFR and although he claims being unaware, interesting that the app did not prevent him from taking off? Wondering if that feature on the app did not activate or was it unavailable from DJI.

and thanks for posting....good to know.

M.C. Pilot Posted at 2017-12-14 15:38
Wow there was a TFR and although he wasn't aware the app did not prevent him from taking off? Wondering if that feature on the app did not activate or was it unavailable on the app.

I believe that feature doesn't work when flying without cellular data.

Oracle Miata Posted at 2017-12-14 15:41
I believe that feature doesn't work when flying without cellular data.

Yeah makes sense..he probably was in airplane mode.

M.C. Pilot Posted at 2017-12-14 15:38
Wow there was a TFR and although he claims being unaware, interesting that the app did not prevent him from taking off? Wondering if that feature on the app did not activate or was it unavailable from DJI.

Wow there was a TFR and although he claims being unaware

Apparently DJI had disabled that feature of the app because there had been a problem with it and they'd gotten complaints about it. Also, as Miata pointed out, he'd have needed an internet connection and it's suggested that he didn't have one.

Violated the 400 altitude limit.
Violated BVLOS.
Caused an accident.
Damn..I wouldn't want to be in his shoes.

That is not good to read... let’s see what happens with this!

Interesting how they traced it back to the owner by a serial number on a motor that was lodged in the blackhawks oil cooler.

That phantom pilot should be billed for the repairs to the Blackhawk,

STUPID is as STUPID does !!!

BTW: Thanks for the follow up.

Hope this guy has a ton of liability insurance.

Oracle Miata Posted at 2017-12-14 15:31
Hey dude, I wasn't agreeing with the behavior.  I was commenting on the growing hobby and the lack of responsible pilots, but thanks for the condescending reply.

Oracle dude, No condescending reply juts to the point... which you did not point at with your FIRST response but you did in your SECOND response.

It's ludicrous that this idiot (still unnamed) waltzed right out and bought another drone 5 days after crashing into a military helicopter!? WTF!?