This site seeks to inform the public of the dangers and abuses related to the use of drones, model aircraft and RPAS for recreation. It contains research gathered from multiple sources and asks important questions as well as exploring possible solutions to a challenging public safety issue.
Injury Victims of RC Aircraft
Even when not lethal, preventable accidents resulting from the use of drones (RC aircraft) can result in serious, and sometimes permanently debilitating injuries. Is a recreation still fun if someone gets hurt, badly hurt? What if that person hurt was not involved with the activity, doesn’t that seem wrong? What if the person hurt is a child? How is that fun? What if it was someone from one’s own family being hurt, still fun? If not then why expose others to the danger? When someone is hurt, does the operator of the RC aircraft (drone) take responsibility for their actions? A common use for drones is for capturing video (like when people hold up cell phones to record an event) and people seem to enjoy this but it could be dangerous. Is taking a picture more important than someone’s safety? Many RC flying clubs have been allowed to operate in close proximity to residents but how can the fun be justified when there is a real risk of injury? The fact is that there are official documents showing the dangers from drones but somehow this activity continues to endanger citizens. The precautions don’t match the risks of injury. The point here is that operating drones in close proximity to people is dangerous. The following is a short list that has been assembled to show that there is a history of injuries from the types of aircraft used in the RC aircraft recreation. This activity can ruin family’s lives and there is great sympathy when looking at the harm done. The damage done to families is chilling and one can feel the pain reviewing these photographs. Be advised that many of the pictures below are upsetting.
Oscar Webb: 18 months old, Worcestershire, England. His eye was sliced in half by a propeller and the severed chunk of his eye landed on his shirt after the operator lost control of the drone. Several operations were needed before having a prosthetic eye fitted.
https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/622635/Toddler-eye-sliced-open-drone
A devastated dad has described the horrifying moment a drone propeller sliced through his 18-month-old son’s EYE.
Little Oscar Webb was playing in a neighbour’s garden while dad Rick Webb, 30, watched family friend Simon Evans, 29, fly his £300 ‘quadcopter’ device with a remote control.
But it clipped a tree as he was trying to land it and spiralled out of control, hitting the toddler in the face.
Helpless Rick could only watch as the propellers severed a chunk of Oscar’s right eye – which landed on his T-SHIRT.
He phoned for an ambulance and paramedics dashed to the house in Stourport-on-Severn, Worcs., at around 1pm on October 10.
He was rushed to Worcester Royal Hospital then transferred immediately to Birmingham and Midland Eye Centre where he underwent a five-hour operation to try and save the eye.
But the damage was too severe and on November 2 surgeons were forced to remove the injured eye at Royal Stoke University Hospital.
Oscar will require several further operations to mould and fit a prosthetic eye.
He is still able to see through his left eye, but his parents think life will never be the same for their family.
Stay-at-home dad Rick Webb, 30, from Stourport-on-Severn, said: “To see it happen right in front of me was absolutely awful.
“I was about to put Oscar on his trike and take him home.
“As I glanced over at Oscar the drone went straight into his face.”
“I knew instantly what had happened. I saw the propeller speed up and I saw the blade spin right through his eye.
“I saw it go in and a bit of his eye landed on his t-shirt. It was just horrifying.”
“He screamed through the shock and so did I. The sound was terrible, like nothing I’ve heard before.”
“ don’t know how I feel now to be honest. I’ve got to hold it together for the sake of my family.”
“He’s a strong lad and he’s got two parents who love him. We’re a very close family and he’ll always have people there for him.”
“People don’t realise and understand how dangerous drones can be.”
“I’ve got one myself but I’ll never fly it again. People should wear eye and neck protection because those propellers can be deadly.”
Oscar’s mum Amy Roberts, a 28-year-old care worker, says drones should be kept away from children.
“We didn’t think in a million years something like this could happen.”
“I want to get it out to every parent, whether they’re flying drones in their gardens or in the park, they need to take precautions.”
“These are not simple toys.”
“There is a risk in anything in this world but if that risk can be reduced it’s got to make a difference.”
“A woman messaged me on Facebook recently to say her son was cut on the face by a drone. They’re not safe for children to be around.”
Child: 2 years old, Taiwan. He suffered deep cuts to his neck after his mother who was holding him was struck in the head by an RC glider from a competition taking place about 500 meters away. His mother died instantly.
A woman carrying her two-year-old child was killed instantly after a remote controlled glider struck her in the head as she strolled along a boardwalk in Kenting National Park, Saturday, November 2.
Ms Lin, 36, from Tainan City, was enjoying a day trip in Longpan Park with her family when the approximately 5 kilogram model glider being flown by a competitor in the Taiwan leg of an international slope soaring competition slammed into her and the child at around 4:50pm. Lin died on the spot, while the child suffered a deep cut to his neck.
The child was treated at a local hospital and his condition is not life-threatening.
The F3F Radio Control Slope Soaring World Cup competition was situated around 500 meters from the accident site, and it is suspected that strong wind gusts sent the glider out of control.
The competition was planned to be held from yesterday, November 2, to Monday, November 4.
However, in light of the incident, Kenting National Park Management Office ordered the event cancelled for safety considerations.
https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3809731
Chen Yi-li (陳怡利), the chief prosecutor at the Pingtung District Prosecutors Office, said that forensic analysis found that Lin had suffered severe trauma to her head, prompting the office to investigate the man for negligent homicide, reported CNA. When the RC glider's pilot, identified as David Cortina, 57, was arrested at the scene, he refused to make a formal statement without consulting a lawyer and was held in custody overnight.Cortina, a member of the California Team, who had previously participated in an event in Kenting in 2014, said he felt remorse and apologized for the incident that day. After the plane had suddenly disappeared, he said he went searching for it and panicked when he heard that it had struck a passerby.
In the afternoon, Cortina was released on NT$200,000 (US$6,500) bail, and he and Tseng face charges of negligent homicide, reported CNA. Prior to his release, Cortina was required to hand over his passport and travel documents to prevent his departure from the country as he awaits trial.
Robert Gardner: 17 years old, Watford, England. He suffered serious facial injuries when he was hit by the propeller of a petrol-driven model plane while playing football with his friend. After the accident, the operator of the drone asked if the victim was all right then just walked away while Robert had blood gushing from his face. The Mayor of Watford defends the drone operator even rejecting the idea of a warning sign even though another child had been killed by a drone in Colney Heath a few years earlier. Robert was referred to a specialist facial injuries unit; was unable to eat, drink or even speak without pain and could not see properly because his injuries was making wearing glasses agony.
Robert Gardner, of Springfield Close, Croxley Green, was playing football with his friends at Watford Heath on Sunday at 6pm when the remote-controlled aircraft struck him.
The 17-year-old Tesco worker's face was badly cut by the spinning blades as he went to fetch his football.
Robert did not think he would be in danger as the plane was flying high enough and he was in full view of its owners, a man and a young boy.But now he believes he is lucky to be alive. In March 1999, 11-year-old Adam Kirby, from Watford, died instantly when he was hit on the back of the head by a model aeroplane travelling at 70mph at Phoenix Model Flying Club in Colney Heath.
Robert said: "I've gone to walk over and the plane's come down and hit me in the face.
"I was fully conscious but I was losing a lot of blood. All the lads laughed but then they saw the amount of blood coming out and called an ambulance."According to Robert, the plane's owner asked if he was all right and then left.
Robert was taken to Watford General Hospital but could not be given stitches as the plane had made a hole in his cheek, leaving no skin.He has a broken cheek bone and has been referred to Hillingdon Hospital's specialist facial injuries unit.
However, doctors can do nothing for the swelling, which will take at least a week to go down.
Stuck at home, Robert is convinced had it not been for his glasses, he would have been blinded.
He is unable to eat, drink or even speak without pain, and cannot see properly because his injuries make wearing glasses agony.
Robert said: "If I was a little kid, I could have died."
Adam's death in 1999 prompted Three Rivers District Council to put up signs on Common Moor in Croxley Green asking members of the public to take extra care when model aircraft was being flown.
Robert is appealing for the owners of the aircraft to come forward.
He said: "This person's just walked off without a care in the world. I know he apologised but it would have been nice for him to stay. You just don't walk off with a person gushing blood out of his face."
He added: "He shouldn't have been playing with a plane in a public place. His son was controlling it and his son was only about nine or ten. I don't think the son was in full control."
This week, Watford Borough Council said it would investigate the matter. However, Mayor of Watford Dorothy Thornhill rejected the idea of warning signs on Watford Heath, which she said was too small an area for flying.
She said: "It's like anything else, whether you are driving a car or riding a bike, you expect people to be responsible and people who fly these model aircraft are usually extremely responsible.”
"I wouldn't want to ruin open space with yet more banning notices and I just feel people have to look out for themselves and be responsible."
Raija Ogden: Geraldton, Australia. She was struck on the head by a drone causing a lot of bleeding and a piece of propeller was stuck in her head. The drone was operated by the owner’s daughter who was hovering the drone 10 meters above the racers when the signal controlling the drone was lost. The authorities failed to charge the owner of the drone for the accident and he gloated online, “thought they could charge me ha ha you idiots.” However the drone owner was later fined.
Raija Ogden suffered head injuries when the drone, which had been filming a promotion for the Endure Batavia Triathlon in the Mid West town on April 6, crashed onto her head.
Earlier this week, the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions decided against prosecuting drone company owner Warren Abrams, whose chief pilot is his 20-year-old daughter Coraleigh Abrams.
The CDPP said the unmanned aerial vehicle had been tested prior to the ill-fated flight but a component unexpectedly failed.“The evidence indicated that the cause of the incident was not the actions of the operator but rather radio interference to the UAV caused by the event’s timing device,” the CDPP said.
It said it had taken all of the circumstances into account in deciding not to start a prosecution “at this time”, including the young age of the operator.Mr Abrams then took to Facebook.
“Just got the call from CASA (Civil Aviation Safety Authority). No charges against us for incident in April,” he posted.
“Just letting everyone know as investigation has taken this long. Sorry to all those who thought they could charge me ha ha you idiots.”ABC reports CASA is seeking legal advice to determine whether it can fine Mr Abrams.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/08/air-safety-triathlete-struck-drone
Ogden said his claims are “horrifying”. "I have lacerations on my head from the drone and the ambulance crew took a piece of propeller from my head," she told the West Australian."My hair was completely red with blood. I didn't hit the ground … I sat down because I just thought I was going to pass out.”
A witness to part of the incident, who did not wish to be named, said they heard a "loud crack" and turned around to see Mrs Ogden in a state of shock."She was stumbling and I will never forget the look on her face," the witness said. "She just could not believe it. She was shocked and in disbelief."
Last week the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions chose not to proceed with a charge against the operator and handed the matter back to CASA.
The ABC understands CASA has now fined the operator $1,700 for flying the drone within 30 metres of people.
Kevin Rourke: 25 years old, New York, USA. He suffered a concussion when a model plane crashed in the crowded stands at the half time show of a New York Jets football game. He received emergency room treatment for a concussion and was admitted to a hospital for observation. John Bowen was another injured spectator who died of his injuries.
https://www.nytimes.com/1979/12/15/archives/fan-hurt-by-model-plane-at-halftime-at-shea-dies-disregard-charged.html
One of two spectators struck by model airplane flown by remote control as part of a halftime show during a New York Jets football game in Shea Stadium last Sunday has died of his injuries.There are no Federal regulations governing the flight of model airplanes, but witnesses said the model was being flown without regard to an “advisory circular” put out by the Federal Aviation Administration that recommends that such planes not be flown in heavily populated areas.
John Bowen, 20 years old of Nashua, N.H., died at New York Hospital Thursday of an injury suffered when the model plane crashed in the crowded stands. Mr. Bowen was struck in the head and badly cut. He underwent surgery Sunday night at Booth Memorial Medical Center in Flushing, Queens, before being transferred to New York Hospital.
The other injured spectator, Kevin Rourke, 25, of Lynn, Mass., suffered a concussion in the incident. He was listed in satisfactory condition yesterday at Booth Memorial.
Both men suffered serious head injuries from the incident. Kevin Rourke received emergency room treatment for a concussion and was admitted to a hospital for additional observation, while John Bowen, whom one observer at the scene described as looking “like he had been attacked by an ax,” underwent emergency surgery that evening. Although Rourke recovered satisfactorily and was eventually discharged from the hospital, Bowen died of his injuries four days later.
“They were sending those things right over the crowds,” said a witness, Ray Warner of Montclair, N.J. Mr. Warner attended the game, between the Jets and the New England Patriots, with a friend, Frank F. E. Bartholomew, also of Montclair. “I had an aisle seat near an exit and I had it in my mind that if it came near me, I would run,” Mr. Warner said.
“It seemed so stupid, so sick, to send this thing over these people.”
Stanley Howse: California, USA. He was hit on the head by a drone while performing at the High Life Music Festival in San Bernardino. This underscores how this activity is in particular not appropriate in certain settings where there is a higher likelihood of collision.
Last night during their performance at the High Life Music Festival in San Bernardino, California, a drone crashed into a member of Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, TMZ reports. There’s grainy video below, and an Associated Press photo confirms that Stanley Howse, aka Flesh-n-Bone, was struck in the head. Howse initially doubled over and gripped the side of his head. He reportedly continued performing.
This is yet another example of the dangers of drones flying at concerts. This incident follows Enrique Iglesias having his hand sliced open by a drone, Trash Talk knocking a drone into a crowd by throwing beer cans at it, and a slow motion drone crash into the audience of a Muse concert.
Enrique Iglesias: Tijuana, Mexico. He cut his hand reaching for a drone filming the crowd over head. The drone's blades sliced open his palm and he bled heavily. After getting his hand wrapped in a bandage he continued the show while bleeding a lot, enough that some spectators and guards where apparently covered in blood. After the show Iglesias met an ambulance at the airport and flew to Los Angeles to see a specialist.
Spanish pop star Enrique Iglesias is seeking treatment after a drone cut his hand during a Saturday concert.
Iglesias continued the show with his hand bloodied and bandaged. Pictures and video from the event show him smearing his blood on his T-shirt in the shape of a heart.A flying drone is used during shows to get crowd shots. Iglesias is known to grab the drone and turn it on himself and the audience to give a “point of view shot,” Bonilla said in a statement.
Saturday was one of those days. Pictures and videos from the event show Iglesias grabbing the drone and attempting to turn it before he abruptly drops it.Adile Flores, who claimed to witness the event and record it on her phone, said the blood splatter landed on close to the stage. He continued with the concert even though it was clear he was bleeding heavily, she told CNN. Eventually, he raised his hands as if to show he was bleeding and left the stage. About 10 minutes later, he returned with his hand wrapped, she said.
“Something went wrong, and he had an accident. He was semi-treated by crew on the side of the stage to try and stop the bleeding,” Iglesias’ publicist said.He was advised to stop the show, but he decided to keep going, the statement said. Pictures from the event show him hiding his hand bloodied and bandaged hand behind his back.
After the show Iglesias met an ambulance at the airport. From there, he flew to Los Angeles to see a specialist, Bonilla said.“He is beautiful and the best. He gave his 1000 although he was bleeding and bleeding. Those of us who were at the front of the stage with security guards were covered with blood,” said another.
Kneena Ellis and Kelly Eaton: New Hampshire, USA. The two women were injured by a video drone that crashed into their faces while they were dancing at a wedding. Mrs. Eaton suffered nose and orbital bone fractures while Mrs. Ellis needed stitches after been hit on the head by the drone propellers. Both ladies suffered of a concussion and permanent physical and emotional injury.
Two women are suing a groom and the event company that ran his wedding reception after they allege he flew a drone that hit them in the head at the New Hampshire event.
Kneena Ellis, of Seabrook, and Kelly Eaton of Peabody, Massachusetts, claim in their December 1 suit that they suffered permanent physical and emotional injury as a result of the August 8 incident.
The suit says Barry Billcliff had flown the drone to take pictures at his wedding reception at Searles Castle in Windham.
Eaton claims that the out-of-control drone fractured her nose and orbital bone and left her with a concussion, the Boston Herald reported.
Ellis said the drone's propellers struck her head, leaving a gash that needed more than 20 stitches. She also said she suffered a concussion.
Billcliff, 38, told the Herald he was operating at his wedding but said that he wasn't controlling it when it crashed.
He said that he was near the stage listening to friends perform a song written for the couple.
His attorney, Andrew LaCourse, backed up Billcliff's claims and said his client wasn't operating the drone at the time of the crash.
'It's regrettable somebody got hurt,' LaCourse said.
'How would anyone think that anything like that would ever happen on their big day?' he said.
When the paramedics arrived, Billcliff said 'that pretty much ended it', adding that his bride, Nichole, was in a 'really, really bad mood'.
Billcliff told the Herald that his wife 'got really mad at me and thought that I just completely ruined the wedding'.
But he insists that he wasn't controlling the drone and is still trying to figure out who was when it lost control.
The newlywed said he uses his drone for his off-road adventures and wanted to use it for the wedding.
The vice president of the Searles Castle, Scott Robb II, told the Herald that he never gave Billcliff permission to fly the drone and had even told him to ground it when he saw him flying it.
Robb called for an ambulance after the drone had crashed and he saw blood gushing from a woman's head.
He told the newspaper that the DJ said the groom was operating the drone at the time.
Yanni Wallingford: Massachusetts, USA. He was one of two runners at a Thanksgiving Day Race who was hit by a drone filming the start of the run. He was injured on his hand after he used it to avoid being hit in the face.
ANDOVER — As nearly 10,000 runners took to the streets of Andover for the 28th annual Feaster Five Thanksgiving Day Race, the competition’s only airborne spectator didn’t quite make it to the finish line.
For the last two years, aerial footage of the Feaster Five has been captured by a drone being operated from above. This year, however, the drone sparked some confusion and controversy after it crashed during the race and fell into a pack of runners on Main Street.
Daniel Brennan, Andover High School’s TV production teacher, was operating the drone during the race and said he was there volunteering his time to capture “aerial perspectives of the starting line.”
The drone clipped a tree branch shortly after the race began and, according to Andover Police Department Executive Officer Charles Heseltine, injured two male runners as it fell into the crowd. The runners, Heseltine said, sustained minor injuries described as “very small lacerations,” one being a cut on one of the runners’ fingers.
A Massachusetts town has chosen to ban drones during big events after one of the devices crashed into a group of runners during a Thanksgiving Day road race last year.
Andrew Flanagan, the new town manager in Andover, Massachusetts, told the North Andover (Massachusetts) Eagle-Tribune that an internal investigation following the Feaster Five race led to the decision.
“Moving forward both I and the police department will restrict any and all operations of UAS/Drones during special events in the community,” Flanagan said. “This includes all road races, charity walks, events in the park and any other event that needs town approval and permit from the town.”
But during the race last fall, things went awry while runners stood at the starting line. One runner actually captured a video on his iPhone showing the drone hovering over the crowd, clipping a tree, and plunging into a group of runners.
Yanni Wallingford, an Andover native who was home for the Thanksgiving holiday, was hit by the drone when it crashed.
“Probably about a foot above head level and then ... I put my hand up so it wouldn’t hit me in the face,” Wallingford said. “It hit my hand.”
While Wallingford’s injuries were mild — he needed a Band-Aid at the end of the race — the damage to the drone was more extensive. After it hit the ground, several people stomped on it and removed its battery. However, Wallingford’s father, Steve Wallingford, said his son’s injury was a small part of a much bigger issue.“I think all the attention in the media has missed the big picture,” Wallingford said. “It’s incredible to me that anyone would approve flying a drone over a densely packed crowd of people. I’m a retired military pilot, so maybe I’m more sensitive to what can go wrong with things that are flying, but I absolutely question how anyone approved this in what appears to be violation of FAA policy.”
At this point, it’s not clear if use of the drone violated the law, but it certainly violated some of the recommendations put out by the FAA on the use of drones, in particular that they not be used over large crowds.
Scot Yount: Massachusetts, USA. He was hit on the head and back of his neck by a drone soon after passing his one year old daughter to his wife. The drone was hovering above the crowd capturing video of the festivities but fell to the ground striking two people on the way down.
A drone soaring above a Massachusetts Memorial Day parade on Monday slammed into a woman and crashed into a man's head moments after he had been holding his one-year-old daughter.
Witnesses tell police a man was flying the drone over the Marblehead holiday parade and taking video of the celebration when his miniature aircraft struck the side of a building.
The drone then plummeted toward the spectators, striking Scot Yount on the back of his head and careening off the shoulder of a woman who was watching the festivities.
Yount suffered minor cuts after the drone hit him and the woman wasn't seriously hurt.
Things would have been much worse if the drone had hit his infant daughter Ellery.
The victim said: 'I heard people yell and felt this clunk on my head and the back of my neck.
'I realized I just got hit by the thing.'
'That guy [drone operator] has to think about where he flies the thing and what could have happened if he hit my daughter.
'I'd be pretty upset.'
Monica Nourmand and her mother-in-law: Las Vegas, USA. A drone hit her in the face injuring her eye then hit her mother-in-law injuring her neck and back. The impact caused blood to pour from her eye causing permanent damage blurring vision.
A couple is suing Caesar’s Palace Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas after a bloody encounter with a drone during 4th of July celebrations.
Monika and Joseph Nourmand said they were attending an Independence Day firework show at Caesar’s on June 30 when they were surprised during a drone light show near the hotel pool.
"All of a sudden, something just hit me in the face," Monika Nourmand told ABC station KABC in Los Angeles.
The lawsuit alleges that one drone flying over the crowd crashed into Monika Nourmand, hitting her in the face injuring her eye, then hitting her mother-in-law, who the family said was injured on her neck and back. The Nourmands say they shot video of the aftermath showing the drone on the ground and gashes across and below Monika Nourmand's eye, along with her bloodied blouse.
"The next thing I know there's blood pouring out of her eye," Joseph Nourmand told KABC.
Her family said that not only did her injuries require stitches, but that she is also permanently damaged in that eye and now has blurry vision."Monika is a young woman and new mom who suffered significant injuries, whose vision is now seriously compromised," the Nourmand’s attorney, Robert Glassman of Panish Shea & Boyle LLP, told ABC News, "We seek to hold them accountable for their actions and inactions."
The Nourmands are not only suing Caesar's Palace, but also the drone manufacturer Great Lakes Drone Company, along with the drone operator. The couple is alleging they were negligent for failing to comply with federal rules and regulations, as well as safety standards.
"Despite what some people may think, drones are not toys," Glassman said. "They are extremely dangerous aluminum objects propelling through the sky and are a hazard."Monika Nourmand is receiving treatment from an ophthalmologist, working to address several long term risks associated with the type of injury she suffered, the family said.An attorney for the Great Lakes Drone Company would not comment on the pending litigation.
"About all I can say is that the defendants deny the allegations contained in the complaint and we look forward to presenting a vigorous defense to the claims asserted," Thomas Beko, attorney for the Great Lakes Drone Company, told ABC News.”
Caesar's Palace has not yet responded to ABC News' request for comment.
Stephanie Creignou: Quebec, Canada. She was hit on the head by a drone and was diagnosed with a cervical sprain. She had to cancel a holiday with her husband and was not able to go back to work after.
https://www.diyphotography.net/womans-head-saves-drone-crashing-straight-ground-25mph/
On June 11, a woman cheering for her friends at the 5 km Rainbow Challenge in Beloeil, Qc, was hit by a DJI Phantom that was flying near the runners. The following images, captured by a UAV operator, VTOL-X inc., flying at a safe distance from the crowd with an authorization from Transport Canada, briefly show the incident.The woman was sent to the hospital and diagnosed with a cervical sprain. She has not been able to go back to work since and is suing Rosaire Turcotte, the operator of the drone. Transport Canada and the Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash.
Mr. Turcotte was gathering images for the local community TV station. The man said he took a pilot course on the Internet and thought he operated the UAV in the “safest way possible”.
The fact that Mr. Turcotte flew is drone less than 9 km from to aerodromes without an SFOC and above a gathering of people clearly demonstrate some weakness in his “training”.
An operation like this one would have required an SFOC and it would have been granted only if the UAV was to be flown at a safe distance form people, which was clearly not the case here.
A person with little to no aviation knowledge can falsely feel safe after following an online course. It can happen in the UAV field when the training only glances over the required subjects like regulation, theory of flight, meteorology and human factors. It is almost impossible for an online course to covers the subjects with the sa depth as a course with an instructor.
No doubt Mr. Turcotte did not want to end his flight on the victim’s head. But his false feeling of safety and his little knowledge in aviation created by his short online training brought this operator to continue with a dangerous operation even if another UAV pilot warned him about the risks.
Chances are high that with the new UAV regulation, that should be published in 2017, operators will need to pass an exam to obtain a UAV pilot permit. By then, Transport Canada encourages operators to follow a course that is compliant with the TP15263 publication to fulfill the knowledge requirement to obtain an SFOC. Proper training is one of the solutions to avoid that kind of incident.
In another instance of drone operator stupidity, 38 year old Stephanie Creignou was seriously injured when a 2.8lb (1.3kg) drone dropped from about 33ft (10m) in the air straight into her head with a velocity of around 25mph (11m/s) during the Challenge 5km Arc-en-Ciel race in Beloeil, Canada.
TVA reports that the operator of the drone, Rosaire Turcotte, had been previously warned about his reckless flying, flew much closer to the crowd than was allowed, and didn’t have the required permits to fly his DJI Phantom 3 at the event in the first place.
The incident happened on June 11th, and as well as potentially facing fines and charges for his illegal drone use, Turcotte is now also being sued by Creignou, too, as she has been unable to work since that time. Reports indicate that the she and her husband also had to cancel a vacation.
Doctors are expected to review Creignou’s condition at the end of the month, but it is unknown how long before they will decide that she is able to go back to work. We hope that she recovers quickly.
Man and Woman: Seattle, Washington. The man was hit in the head by a small UAV then a woman was hit in the head and when she looked at her hands, they were covered in blood.
Although the Phantom was no longer recording, surveillance cameras at Safeco Plaza captured what happened next. One camera is mounted on the front of the Safeco skyscraper and looks down on the plaza several stories below. Small knots of people are milling around, waiting to join the parade. A barely visible white blur plummets from above and strikes a man standing with a small group of people near the base of the building. The blur ricochets off the man’s head and into a woman’s forehead. The man can be seen rubbing his head in the seconds after impact. The woman is doubled over, her hands covering her face as a companion offers aid. When she looks at her hands, they are covered in blood, according to court records. Unsteady on her feet, she is helped to a nearby bench.
The drone crashed into a building on Fourth Avenue, then hit two people, the City Attorney's Office said. One woman suffered a concussion and a man was bruised.Last month a jury convicted Skinner of reckless endangerment.
A hearing is set for May 25 to resolve the amount of restitution that Skinner owes the woman for her medical treatment, the City Attorney's Office said.
The City Attorney's Office says an appeal is expected and that Skinner will not have to serve the 30 days in jail as the appeal is pending.
City Attorney Pete Holmes had sought 90 days of jail time.
Four People: Ocseny, Hungary. Four people were injured when a model aircraft crashed into a crowd of spectators at a model airplane show. A married couple was killed in the crash.
A married couple attending an international model aircraft demonstration in southern Hungary Saturday were killed when one of the planes, a model Pitts biplane, suddenly crashed into the crowd.
Local news agency MTI reports the two were watching the show in Ocseny, a town about 90 miles south of the capital of Budapest. Emergency officials told MTI the couple was from the nearby city of Szekszard. Four others injured in the accident were taken to a hospital there.
It was the first time anyone in Hungary had been killed at a model airplane show, one of the show's organizers stated.
Chairman of the Hungarian Modelling Federation Andor Harmath told MTI he assumed the aircraft -- which was being controlled by who MTI described as an "experienced German operator," according to the Associated Press -- experienced interference in the signal between its controller and the receiver on the plane.
