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.
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.