RAF helicopter flying at 138mph was fraction of a second from hitting model plane
It’s the third near miss involving Chinooks and drone or models in recent weeks
AN RAF helicopter flying at 138mph was a fraction of a second from hitting a model plane, an official report has confirmed.
The incident was the third near miss involving one of the Chinooks and a drone or model plane in UK airspace to be revealed in recent weeks.
The Chinook was flying at only 100ft when a crewman suddenly saw the 3ft white craft passing just 30ft above it.
A UK Airprox Board report said a collision had been “avoided by providence alone”.
The incident happened as the £60million Chinook was flying near Bridgwater, Somerset, last November.
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The Ministry of Defence's Joint Helicopter Command said that avoiding all risks when carrying out “realist low flying training” was impossible.
The report rated it as a Category A incident, meaning that there was a serious risk of collision.
It said the model plane operator, who was not traced, had a duty to fly safely but was entitled to be flying in the area.