RPAS IN AVIATIONTHE IMPACT ON INSURANCE

Roger Sethsson Inter Hannover

LIDINGO, STOCKHOLM LAST SUNDAY

RPAS OPERATIONS AROUND THE GLOBE

CHALLENGES FACING RPAS INTEGRATION

Terminology• UAV, UAS, RPAS and Drone

Liability and Potential Damages• Damage to the Drone, other Drones or manned aircraft• Injuries to persons in manned aircraft or on ground • Property

HIGHER ACCIDENT RATE

Military UAS versus All military manned aircraft• 9.31 accidents versus 3.03 accidents/100,000

flight hours (Source: USAF)• 47 military drone crashes in US from 2001-2013• 23 accidents involving public agency drones in US

since 2009• Pilots have reported 15 near collisions with drones

since 2011 (Source: FAA)

NEAR MISSES

• Cessna jet – unknown, Denver, CO Mar. 2012• Alitalia B777 – unknown, quadcopter, JFK Mar. 2013• US Air CRJ-200 – unknown fixed wing, Tallahassee, FL

Mar. 2014• Police helicopter – DJI Phantom 2, Manhattan, NY

July 2014

Small UAS owners are unlikely to have adequate insurance coverage.

SMALL RPAS CAN DAMAGE AIRCRAFT

CRITICAL INFORMATION FOR RISK ASSESSMENT

Type of aircraft• Size• Engine type• Launch and recovery• Method of control• Communication links• Autonomous or pilot• Sense and avoid technology

• Skill/training of operator• Operating environment• Contracts liability clause• Applicable regulations