News Chopper Has To Avoid Drone While Covering Story

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WSVN’s (Miami) News Chopper had a close call with a drone while hovering above the scene of a car crash.

The station says that 7Skyforce Photographer Ralph Rayburn and pilot Joe Mancino were sent to report on the crash, in the area of Southwest 72nd Street and 157th Avenue, at around noon, Wednesday.

“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.

Federal Aviation Administration regulations prohibit drones from flying above 400 feet. At the time of the incident, 7Skyforce was hovering at around 800 feet. A drone also cannot fly within 5 miles of an airport without permission.

“It’s a blatant disregard for the rules,” Mancino said. “This time we were hovering. Most times, we’re in this aircraft going about 140 mph, and if somebody popped one of these in front of me, that plastic windshield is not going to hold up.”

“I don’t even want to think about it,” Rayburn added. “It has two souls on board, two human beings, and we’d like to go home every night.”