Drone pilots are users of airspace and thus are required to report safety-related incidents or accidents promptly.
Reporting safety-related incidents and accidents
Unmanned aircraft (including model aircraft) operators are required to report accidents to two different agencies:
- Accidents and serious incidents must be reported immediately to the Aviation division of the Swiss Transportation Safety Investigation Board (STSB) via the Rega alarm centre (tel. 1414, from abroad +41 333 333 333).
- Additionally, all safety-related incidents (see definition below) must be reported within 72 hours via the official reporting portal, ECCAIRS, to: www.aviationreporting.eu.
Which events must be reported?
In general, drone (incl. model aircraft) operators must report all incidents involving manned aircraft or in which one or more persons are killed or seriously injured to their competent authority, as defined in European Regulations (EU) 376/2014 and (EU) 2018/1139. Unmanned aircraft pilots/operators are therefore required to report any such incident or accident to the aforementioned services.
However, beyond the serious events covered by these basic regulations, any incident can provide safety lessons that should benefit the entire UAS operator community and the overall aviation system. The FOCA therefore invites UASoperators to report any safety-related incidents in a transparent and confidential manner. If in doubt, you can always contact the FOCA.
By reporting, you can highlight safety issues whose analysis can benefit all aviation stakeholders and users. Systematic reporting and analysis of events helps to prevent accidents and incidents. The data submitted will be treated confidentially in accordance with Regulation (EU) 376/2014.
Consequences for drone pilots
When incidents are reported, drone pilots will not be prosecuted if they have not acted with gross negligence or intent. The reason for reporting events is so that they can be investigated (if necessary, by the STSB) to learn from them. In addition, some insurance companies may require an official damage report to cover any damage.
Last modification 18.11.2024
