Helicopter pilot dodges ‘disaster’ as smirking teen flew drone above UK airport
The ex-military pilot of the helicopter, which was carrying two passengers during the near-miss, said he never had to take such ‘evasive action’ and ‘it could have caused catastrophic results’
A drone enthusiast who nearly caused a ‘catastrophic’ crash with a police helicopter has been spared jail because he has autism. Nathan Flint was flying his drone at 1,600ft – four times the legal limit – above Greater Manchester when it came within seconds of crashing into a police helicopter.
The ex-military pilot of the chopper, which was also carrying to police passengers, said he was forced to take ‘evasive action’ and bank to the right after spotting the drone’s lights. Helicopter captain Peter Delaney said if he hadn’t pulled off the “aggressive” manoeuvre, the results could have been catastrophic”.
Mr Delaney spotted the green and red lights of the drone as he flew over Middleton at around midnight shortly after taking off for a routine mission from Manchester Barton Aerodrome, Salford, on August 9, 2023.
The helicopter was flying at 1,800ft and travelling at 120 knots (138mph) when the pilot spotted the lights flying below the helicopter ‘in the 11 o’clock position’, prosecutor Aubrey Sampson told Manchester’s Minshull Street yesterday (March 19, 2025), reports the Manchester Evening News.
The pilot immediately ‘took evasive action and banked to the left to avoid a collision’, the court was told.
The pilot ‘is of the view taking immediate evasive action was necessary as the drone could have made contact with the aircraft within 4.8 seconds’, said the prosecutor.
One of the helicopters police passengers saw the drone between 100 and 200ft below the chopper and about 1,600ft from the ground, the court heard.
The drone then descended into the back garden of Flint’s home in Middleton and the second police passenger used ‘mapping technology’ to pinpoint Flint’s address on Talkin Drive. When the helicopter returned to Manchester City Airport, a report of the ‘near miss’ was filed.
The next day police visited Flint’s home and arrested him. In his police interview, he admitted ‘straight away’ he was the pilot of the drone, adding that he was ‘very excited’ as he had purchased the drone with his birthday money, said Mr Sampson. A DJI Air 3 camera drone costs more than £1,200.
He told the officers he had merely wanted to ‘enjoy’ the drone and knew the legal altitude limit for the aircraft was 400ft. He admitted it was ‘well above the legal altitude limit’.
The captain of the police helicopter, Peter Delaney, later told police: “In all my years as a helicopter pilot and before during my military service I have never had to take such evasive action because of a drone. It posed a huge risk to my aircraft… It could have caused catastrophic results.”
Pat Buckley, defending, pointed to the length of time it had taken for the case to come to court
Judge Jenny Lester-Ashworth said the defendant’s “culpability is significantly reduced by virtue of his learning disability’ and so jail was ‘not necessary”.
She said: “You took ownership of the drone following a birthday and took the opportunity to fly that drone and fly it in a way that was dangerous.”
“I doubt you have any intention of buying another one. If you do you must make sure you check all the requirements before you do something like this again. This offence is viewed as serious which is why you are in the crown court and not the magistrates’ court. This is an offence which does cross the custody threshold.”
The judge added that if the if the defendant did not have special needs in the form of autism he ‘would be going to prison’. She added: “I’m not going to send you to prison today because of those needs.”
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