The hair-raising near-miss occurred shortly after 11 a.m. yesterday while state police helicopter Air 2 was on a training flight from the Holliston area en route to Newburyport, state police spokesman David Procopio said.
The helicopter was over Interstate 495, about 3 1/2 miles north of Lawrence Municipal Airport, when authorities say the two-man crew suddenly saw something approaching at an altitude of 600 feet.
“The pilot and TFO (tactical flight officer) estimated it to be at 100 feet to their direct front,” Maj. Rich Prior of the Division of Homeland Security told reporters at a press conference at the airport. “It flew across the front of the windshield of the helicopter. They thought it was a bird initially until they came right up on it.”
The drone was about 2 to 3 feet wide and probably weighed 2 to 4 pounds — big enough and, at only 100 feet away, close enough to cause a devastating crash, Prior said.
“The helicopter was traveling at 120 mph, and you could imagine driving at 120 mph with just a thin sheet of glass to your direct front,“ he said. “Had the drone flown into the helicopter, especially through the windshield, it would have been a catastrophic and fatal accident for the aircrew.”
The operator of the drone likely spotted the helicopter, Prior said, because the unmanned aircraft suddenly dropped out of sight, but not before the helicopter pilot was “forced to take evasive action to avoid a collision.”
After banking hard left, the crew turned around to search for the drone’s pilot, and cruisers also responded to the area, Procopio said, but no one was found.
Because airplanes are much less maneuverable than helicopters, Prior said, the drone also could have flown into the engine of a jet near the airport.
It is illegal for private drones to fly within five miles of an airport or at an altitude greater than 400 feet, Procopio said, and those heavier than 0.55 pounds must be registered with the FAA. Unauthorized operators may be subject to stiff fines and criminal charges, including jail time, according to the FAA.
“We’re asking people just to please be conscientious of where you’re flying drones, be aware of the rules and the regulations, and if any member of the public knows who was manning that drone today they are to call Massachusetts State Police headquarters in Danvers with any information,” Prior said.
Reports of unmanned aircraft sightings from pilots, citizens and law enforcement have increased dramatically over the past two years, according to the FAA, which now receives more than 100 such reports each month. According to FAA data, there were 41 reports last year in Massachusetts.
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