A drone caused minor but costly damage to an ABC 7 news chopper.
A drone operator is in serious trouble after flying into and damaging an ABC 7 news chopper over Downtown Los Angeles earlier last night (Dec. 4,2019.) According to ABC 7’s Veronica Miracle and Air 7 Pilot Chris Christi, both got the shock of their life after hearing a “pop and loud bang” while flying just East of Downtown Los Angeles.
Check out the flurry of tweets including their news report from ABC 7 below.
#BREAKING: A DRONE struck the AIR7HD Chopper while they were flying over Downtown LA — requiring a precautionary landing.
— Veronica Miracle (@ABC7Veronica) December 5, 2019
Luckily, everyone on board is OK. Hear from our @abc7chriscristi at 11pm on @ABC7. pic.twitter.com/MHbxVMr2Tx
#BREAKING After some tense moments over Downtown LA this evening, #Air7HD has landed safely following a midair collision with a drone which has damaged our tail. Thankfully our crew is fine! @ABC7 #abc7eyewitness pic.twitter.com/sNg1j9Vne5
— Chris Cristi (@abc7chriscristi) December 5, 2019
This could have been a disaster & we are glad everyone is okay. Be a responsible and legal unmanned aircraft operator…know & follow the rules. In addition to FAA regulations, there is an Ordinance here in LA: https://t.co/NIzqxJdia1 https://t.co/smjPTDz4s3
— LAPD Communications Division (@911LAPD) December 5, 2019
The collision between the drone and Air7 HD happened at around 1,100 feet. Drones, according to a city ordinance passed in 2015, cannot fly above 400 feet in the city of Los Angeles. Doing so violates said ordinance , a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not more than $1,000, not over six months in jail, or both.
Although this helicopter showed now signs of damage from up in the air, their pilot landed as a precaution.
According to Vertical Mag, ABC 7 flies an Airbus AS350 B2 AStar helicopter, a $2.4 million aircraft.
The damaged section is the helicopter’s horizontal stabilizer, a fixed wing section of the helicopter there to provide stability flying straight and to prevent up-and-down, or pitching.
For such high-dollar aircraft, ABC 7 probably has a hefty insurance policy to cover these kinds of unforeseen damages. If these horizontal stabilizer parts listings are to be believed, this repair shouldn’t be too costly.
It’s never a good idea to fly your drone so close to news choppers. The repercussions for damaging one and the worst-case scenarios that come to mind should be reason enough to not test your luck.
As mentioned, Los Angeles police launched their own investigation into the matter. I’ll update y’all if any developments come up.
