The FBI and the FAA are investigating after a Los Angeles Police Department Airbus AS350 helicopter was struck by a drone in Tarzana earlier this week, the agencies confirmed to NBC Los Angeles on Thursday.
The helicopter was on patrol when a “relatively large drone,” approximately 3 by 3 feet, struck it near the intersection of Highway 101 and Reseda Boulevard, near Tarzana, just before 3 p.m. Tuesday, prompting a precautionary landing at Van Nuys Airport, the LAPD said.
The pilot and passenger aboard the police helicopter were not injured in the collision, and only the aircraft’s windshield was damaged, according to a preliminary report from the FAA.
A spokesperson for the National Transportation Safety Board confirmed the agency was notified of the incident but said it is not investigating because there was no significant damage or injuries.
While LAPD Capt. Brian Wendling suggested during a Tuesday news conference that a drone pilot may have been flying to capture images of a brush fire burning near the Encino Reservoir, the department later confirmed the collision did not occur over the fire.
According to data obtained from flight tracking website FlightAware, the LAPD helicopter responded to the area near the fire at about 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, remaining overhead for roughly six minutes before departing to patrol elsewhere in the San Fernando Valley.
Nearly 90 minutes later, at about 2:52 p.m., the helicopter returned to the Tarzana area along the 101 Freeway between Balboa Boulevard and Reseda Boulevard, just more than 1.5 miles from the fire in Encino, to assist officers searching for a reported kidnapping suspect.
It was during that response that the helicopter was struck by the drone.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on Tuesday called the incident “completely unacceptable.”
“This is a warning to anybody who’s flying a drone that interferes with Fire or PD: We will find you, you will be arrested, and you will be prosecuted,” she said during a press conference discussing the fire in Encino.
Data from FlightAware shows the LAPD helicopter was flying at an altitude between 1,200 and 1,300 feet at the time of the collision.
Under federal regulations, drones are generally allowed to fly up to a maximum altitude of 400 feet, depending on airspace restrictions. The area where the collision occurred is within airspace where drones may legally operate up to 400 feet.
Police and the FBI are still trying to identify the person who was flying the drone, which did not belong to the LAPD.