Further to the incident in which a competitor in the Endure Batavia Triathlon in Geraldton, Western Australia, was injured by a UAS, the organisers have released the following statement:
In relation to the incident that occurred on the 6th of April 2014 involving Endure Batavia Triathlon competitor Raija Ogden and an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), the Geraldton Triathlon Association wish to state that their investigations into the incident is still in its preliminary stages.
Whilst the Association’s investigation into the incident remains ongoing at this point, it has become apparent to the Association that there is speculation as to whether the operators of the UAV, namely New Era Film & Photography, may or may not hold the appropriate operator’s certification as required by the governing body, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA).
The Geraldton Triathlon Association wishes to state that New Era Film & Photography were engaged to undertake the aerial filming of the event on an in-kind sponsorship basis, with a payment of $300 being paid to New Era to cover some of their associated costs for operating the UAV on the day.
President of the Geraldton Triathlon Association, Simon Teakle, said New Era Film & Photography were engaged on a sponsorship basis on the understanding that they held the appropriate licenses or certifications required for operating a UAV and that New Era were obtaining whatever permits were required to operate the UAV for the event.
The Association further wishes to state that it does not have the expertise to comment on whether New Era Film & Photography do in fact hold the appropriate certification or licenses required by CASA, and this matter is for the appropriate authorities to address as part of their investigation into the incident.
Mr Teakle said the operation of the UAV and the height at which the UAV was flown on the day of the event was at the direction of New Era Film & Photography.
“I would like to reiterate that New Era were engaged to conduct the aerial filming on the understanding that they were qualified and therefore were compliant with the rules and regulations around the safe operation of UAV’s.”
Mr Teakle said the Association prides itself on a strong track record of safety in relation to the Endure Batavia Triathlon event.
“In the three years the event has been running, there has never been an injury or accident occur and the Association goes to great lengths to ensure the safety of its competitors across every aspect of the race,” he said.
Mr Teakle said that prior to engaging New Era Film & Photography, the UAV operators stated to the Geraldton Triathlon Association that it was qualified and certified to operate the UAV. On that understanding, New Era Film & Photography were engaged to undertake the aerial filming of the race.
Page 1 of 2Mr Teakle said that safety is paramount in every event and race the Association holds.
“Safety is and always has been paramount with every race the Geraldton Triathlon Association conducts and the Association would never engage the services of any contractor if they were known or believed to be unqualified or uncertified to perform their service,” he said.
As the Association’s investigations into the incident are still ongoing, the Association are yet to obtain or view any video footage taken from the incident. The Association expects to publish a Preliminary Investigation report as soon as possible.
Source: Press Release