A2 CofC Incident Reporting & Safety — Questions and Answers
Question 1: To which organisation must a serious drone incident or accident in the UK be reported?
- The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and potentially the AAIB for serious accidents (Correct answer)
- Only the local police
- The Department for Transport directly
- No reporting is required for drones under 25 kg
Correct answer: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and potentially the AAIB for serious accidents
Serious drone incidents must be reported to the CAA. The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) investigates serious accidents involving unmanned aircraft. Reporting helps improve safety across the industry and is legally required for certain categories of incident.
Question 2: What constitutes a 'reportable accident' involving a drone under UK regulations?
- An event resulting in a fatality, serious injury to a person, or significant damage to property or another aircraft (Correct answer)
- Any crash, regardless of severity, must be reported to the CAA
- Only incidents where the drone is completely destroyed
- Incidents must only be reported if the drone was operating commercially
Correct answer: An event resulting in a fatality, serious injury to a person, or significant damage to property or another aircraft
The ANO and associated regulations define reportable accidents as events causing death, serious injury to any person, or significant damage to property or aircraft. Near misses with manned aircraft are also reportable as 'airprox' events through the CAA's Mandatory Occurrence Reporting (MOR) scheme.
Question 3: What is an 'airprox' report and when should a drone pilot file one?
- A report filed when a drone comes close enough to a manned aircraft to create a collision risk (Correct answer)
- A report filed after every flight near an aerodrome
- A mandatory post-flight weather report
- A report for drone mechanical failures only
Correct answer: A report filed when a drone comes close enough to a manned aircraft to create a collision risk
An airprox (aircraft proximity) report is submitted when a pilot believes their aircraft has come close enough to another aircraft that a collision risk existed. Drone pilots who experience a near-miss with a manned aircraft should file an airprox report with the UK Airprox Board, contributing to the safety data used to prevent future incidents.
Question 4: What should a drone pilot do immediately if they lose control of the aircraft?
- Attempt to regain control, activate Return to Home if safe, alert any people in the flight path, and land as safely as possible (Correct answer)
- Immediately activate Return to Home regardless of where the home point is
- Switch off the controller to cut communication and allow the failsafe to activate
- Continue flying to a safe open area before attempting to land
Correct answer: Attempt to regain control, activate Return to Home if safe, alert any people in the flight path, and land as safely as possible
In a loss-of-control scenario, the priority is preventing harm. The pilot should attempt to regain control, use Return to Home if the home point is safe, warn any people nearby, and accept that the drone may be damaged to protect people on the ground. Switching off the controller may trigger a failsafe that is inappropriate for the situation.
Question 5: Why is it important to maintain a flight log for drone operations?
- It provides evidence of compliance, supports incident investigation, and is required by some operators and insurers (Correct answer)
- It is a mandatory legal requirement for all open category flights in the UK
- It is only required for specific category and BVLOS operations
- Flight logs are only useful for scheduling maintenance intervals
Correct answer: It provides evidence of compliance, supports incident investigation, and is required by some operators and insurers
While not always a strict legal requirement for open category flights, maintaining a flight log is strongly recommended and often required by commercial clients, insurers, and as part of any specific category authorisation. In the event of an incident, a log provides crucial evidence of pre-flight checks, flight duration, and operational parameters.
Question 6: What is the primary purpose of the CAA's Mandatory Occurrence Reporting (MOR) scheme as it applies to drones?
- To collect safety data from drone incidents to identify trends and prevent future occurrences (Correct answer)
- To punish drone pilots who have accidents
- To issue fines for regulatory non-compliance
- To monitor commercial drone operator revenue for tax purposes
Correct answer: To collect safety data from drone incidents to identify trends and prevent future occurrences
The MOR scheme is a no-blame safety reporting mechanism. Pilots and operators are encouraged to report incidents and near-misses openly. The data is analysed to identify safety trends and introduce preventative measures — the goal is learning and prevention, not punishment.
A2 CofC Incident Reporting & Safety
To which organisation must a serious drone incident or accident in the UK be reported?