Late last year a Sensefly eBee 178 UAS was carrying out aerial surveying work over Iluka’s Echo mineral sands mines when it had a near collision incident with a crop duster.
According to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, after the operator carried out their pre-flight preparations and risk assessment, they heard an aircraft operating at a nearby property.
The operator attempted to contact the ag plant aircraft operating nearby, but couldn’t raise him on the radio, and instead got the mine manager to contact the farmer and notify the pilot.
However, the information was then miscommunicated to the pilot who assumed, when told that an aircraft was carrying out aerial surveys, it would be a fixed wing plane.
During the UAS operations it came within 100 metres horizontally and 70 metres vertically of the aircraft. However the pilot was unaware of the near collision incident.
Following an investigation the mine’s UAS operator carried out a presentation on UAS to air traffic controllers at the nearby Moorabbin Tower, with the mine starting a campaign to advise agricultural aircraft operators of their work, what UAS look like and protocols for sharing airspace.
The full report can be downloaded here.
[Readers will note that the Bureau states that it is not its function to “apportion blame or determine liability” and limits its recommendations to suggesting increased vigilance and a call to be aware of the “Limitations of See-and-Avoid” as spelled out in its 1999 Report …hmmmm – Ed.]
Source: Ferret