Overview
- Great North Air Ambulance Service crews aborted a takeoff and shut down their helicopter on October 14 after spotting a drone flying dangerously close in Spennymoor, County Durham.
- No patient was on board during the Spennymoor incident, and the injured man from the reported assault was taken to hospital by road.
- GNAAS says drones have previously delayed departures, including a seven-minute hold when a critically injured patient needed urgent transfer to hospital.
- The service asks operators to follow the Civil Aviation Authority’s Drone and Model Aircraft Code, which includes staying below 400 feet, keeping drones in sight, and avoiding airports, and to use the Drone Assist app to check NOTAMs, no‑fly zones, hazards, and map data.
- Officials warn that endangering an aircraft with a drone is a serious offence carrying up to five years in prison and an unlimited fine, and note that a drone involved in the Spennymoor callout evaded police by darting behind houses.