The BMFA Article 16 Authorisation includes a requirement for remote pilots to report certain accidents, serious incidents and other occurrences to the Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). This was an existing requirement, but has been emphasised in the terms of our Authorisation.
To read the full guidance about mandatory occurrence reporting see https://rcc.bmfa.uk/art16-occurrence-reporting
If you have been involved in an incident and are not sure whether it is a reportable occurrence, or who to report the occurrence to or you need to report an occurrence, you should immediately visit the new BMFA Reporting portal at https://reporting.bmfa.uk
Members completing and submitting the pre-reporting form will be guided through the correct process and the occurrence will be reported to the necessary bodies.
The first mandatory occurrence report has already been submitted after a model fly-away that wasn’t recovered. The member in question stated that it was:
“A straightforward process and nothing to be frightened about.”
A representative from the CAA commented:
“Whilst I am very sorry to hear of this aircraft’s loss, I am incredibly encouraged by the actions of the remote pilot in submitting this report – this may contribute to a valuable lesson being learned in the future to help prevent this sort of loss of control happening again. I would be very grateful if you could pass on my sincere thanks to your member for being such a good example to others.”