A Texas medical helicopter crew reported a close call with a drone Monday.
The CareFlite helicopter was about 500 feet above the ground near Denton Regional airport on a mission to pick up a patient when the incident happened.
"It went right past the aircraft. I would say it was very close,"" CareFlite Chief Executive Officer Jim Swartz told television station NBCDFW. "We were lucky nothing terrible happened."
The pilot said the close call happened so fast that he could not taken evasive action.
The crew, which consisted of a nurse, paramedic and pilot, continued on their mission to pick up a patient.
"I'm not sure the people who fly these drones know the risk they're putting airplanes and helicopters in," Swartz said. "They're putting them at terrible risk."
Reports of aircraft encountering drones are not too common, but Swartz said this was an especially close call.
The FAA was notified and will investigate the incident.
