A consumer-grade drone, if it hit a helicopter's tail rotor, could cause a catastrophe, says Capt. Gary Vogue of the Pennsylvania State Police.
It's a growing risk as more and more people own and operate drones for recreational and commercial purposes, Pennsylvania law enforcement and emergency officials say.
State law makes it illegal to use a drone to cause bodily harm, to invade someone's privacy or to deliver contraband.
People who operate larger drones, or use them for commercial purposes, must register them and abide by additional laws. Drones aren't allowed to fly higher than 400 feet -- an altitude that can put them in conflict with a helicopter landing or taking off.
Helicopter pilots are typically focused on instruments or things related to their mission, meaning they could easily fail to see a drone. "Quite simply, the drone operator will see use before we see them," Vogue said.
An amateur operating a drone that interfered with a police or emergency response could face charges such as disorderly conduct, reckless endangering or possessing an instrument of crime, Vogue said.
Police and emergency agencies commonly use drones for purposes including finding fugitives and missing persons and assessing disaster situations. In those cases, the drones are known and part of the organized response.
But big problems can arise when helicopters encounter unidentified drones. The presence of an unidentified drone can prevent a helicopter from receiving clearance to land or take off. In the case of a medical helicopter, that could endanger the life of someone needing emergency medical care.
"It's a great tool. We're not saying they're bad. Just give us room to do our job," says Scott Christensen, a crew member of the Life Lion medical helicopter.
Christensen was among the speakers at an event held Friday to call public attention to the problems and dangers drones can pose for helicopters.
A state official advised drone operators: "When in doubt, land the drone."
The event came less than a week after the helicopter crash in California that killed former NBA star Kobe Bryant. There, people using drones to glimpse the crash scene caused federal officials to close the air space above the site.
Pennsylvania officials say the Kobe Bryant crash had no role in the decision to hold Friday's event.
Speakers on Friday talked of close encounters but no serious accidents involving drones in Pennsylvania.
Randy Padfield, the director of the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, told of an incident during flooding in Pennsylvania in 2018, where helicopters were being used to rescue people from rooftops. Only later did officials see social media images apparently taken by a drone. If they had been aware of the drone, it could have delayed rescues, he said.
Padfield said amateur drone operators should abide by the same "community rules" that have long been followed by people who fly model airplanes.
"It's vital for drone operators to understand that official emergency response activities take priority over personal attempts to get pictures or video of an incident scene by using a drone, and that use of a drone during an emergency may result in significant safety issues for emergency responders as well as delay vital care to those who are injured or in need of rescue," Padfield said.
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