Helicopter was 50ft away from hitting drone

A Coastguard helicopter came within 50ft of hitting a drone while on a training exercise, a report has said.

The AW189 helicopter was flying to land in a field on the Isle of Wight when the crew spotted the 5ft-wide fixed-wing drone heading towards them. The drone passed underneath the helicopter at a height of around 550ft just before 3pm on April 3 this year at Milford on Sea, Hampshire.

A report by the UK Airprox Board, which investigates near-misses, said: “It was seen too late to take any avoiding action. The crew discussed the near miss, noted the position and elected to continue with the sortie.”