A three-year-old child was hospitalised after being cut in the face by a drone in a Nottinghamshire park. The incident took place in Welfare Park, Huthwaite, at around 4.30pm on Saturday, April 16.
A "serious accident" report published by the Air Accidents Investigations Branch [AAIB], states that the pilot was flying his Air2S in the park when some children who were in the area “took an interest” in it. When the pilot began flying the aircraft “a few feet above their heads” they started to chase it before he brought it to a "stabilised hover", at which point the three-year-old child “jumped up” and tried to catch it.
The report states: "The child managed to reach up and touch the rotor blades which destabilised the aircraft. The UA briefly lost height and its blades struck the child, making two significant cuts on their face as well as smaller cuts to their nose, chin and fingers.
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"The facial cuts required hospital attention. After striking the child, the UA [unmanned aircraft] automatically re-established its hover and the pilot flew it away from the children. The child’s injuries were assessed as minor."
After the incident, the pilot of the drone admitted they should not have been flying it so close to the children and the report stated that the pilot was responsible for the safe operation of the aircraft.
The report concluded: "This incident occurred when a UA operated in the A3 Open category was flown closer to uninvolved persons than allowed for under the applicable regulations. Had the regulated horizontal separation minima been observed, the incident could not have occurred."
There was no damage to the aircraft as a result of what happened.
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