Cycling on cycle/footpath, drone being flown by pedestrian, video recording his walk. I experienced a head on impact with the drone damaging my helmet but fortunately I was unhurt. Drone flown in ‘follow mode’ pilot/owner very apologetic. Had the impact been four inches lower, then facial injury would have been likely. So,a near miss report
CHIRP Comment
The Board had the following comments:
This report highlights the risks associated with not understanding the “follow me” mode, a popular function often found on small photography Drones.
Setting the altitude during pre-flight checks needs to be done based on a knowledge of the local terrain. It should always be set higher than anything in the surrounding area including people walking or bicycling.
Because the operator had an accident that involved a collision with a person, albeit they were unhurt, it should have been reported to the AAIB. The report does not state whether this was done.
If it was a DJI Drone with the Active Track function, it should have had the obstacle-sensing switched on. This would have meant the aircraft could have avoided coming into contact with the bicyclist’s helmet.
We are unsure of the direction the drone was flying in, but if it was towards the cyclist, the collision avoidance system may not be able to react in time, given the closing speed between them.
Active Track is very good for action shots, but it doesn’t mean that the pilot can forego developing a broad situational awareness of where they will be flying and who might enter the flight arena. When using Active Track, a pilot must always retain Visual Line of Sight. Many online videos that have been made using Active Track seem to show situations where the pilot is clearly not looking at the Drone.
