Drone Manufacturer: DJI
Drone Model: Mavic
Country: United States of America
Type: Incident
Date: 2021-02-17
Applies: Daytime
Pilot Qualifications: Unknown Status
Pilot Flight Experience: Unknown Hours
Link to External Information About This submission: https://wsvn.com/news/local/7skyforce-dodges-drone-while-reporting-in-sw-miami-dade-incident-under-investigation/
File Uploaded: None
Description
Drone operating within 75 feet of news helicopter at 800 feet AGL.
Although a drone is relatively small in size compared to a helicopter, it can still cause a tragedy. Mancino spotted the drone a few minutes before 7News went on air to report the incident.
“We were 3.3 miles north of Tamiami Airport,” Mancino said. “We arrived there roughly three minutes before noon. I saw a drone hovering there looking at me about 75 feet in front of the helicopter.”
Using the helicopter’s built-in camera, Rayburn took video of the drone as it hovered near the aircraft.
“I was able to find it and zoom in on it and follow it for a short period of time before it disappeared,” Rayburn said. “It was clear to us that the operator saw us see him, and that’s when the drone kind of left the area.”
Rayburn and Mancino believe the drone landed somewhere in the area, and law enforcement has started an investigation into the incident.