Drone exam · Incident reporting and recordkeeping

A drone strikes a tree, breaks two propellers and lands without injuring anyone. Can the crew label it an 'accident' for every legal reporting system without checking definitions?

Answer

No. Use the definitions and thresholds of the authorities that apply to the operation. Internal safety language can be broader than a legal reporting definition.

Explanation

Different systems define reportable accidents and serious incidents differently. The event should be classified against the actual rules, not casual wording.