A new report has revealed that a military Chinook helicopter was involved in a near-miss collision incident in Harrogate.

The investigation, undertaken by the UK’s Airprox board, has emerged. The investigation report details an incident on the evening of April 17 of this year when a model aeroplane flew directly towards a Chinook helicopter.

The near-miss incident occurred only around 150 ft above ground, as the Chinook came into Harrogate HLS to land. The crew of the helicopter described that they saw the model aircraft “fly directly towards them” from the 9 o’clock position.

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Though the crew believed the risk of collision to be low, with the model aircraft only getting within 10 meters of the helicopter, the Airprox board ruled that safety had been “much reduced”, to the extent that “safety had not been assured”.

The board gave the incident a risk rating of B – which is the second-highest near-miss rating.

The board explained the events: “The Chinook pilot reports that the crew had planned an approach into Harrogate HLS, and with approximately two nautical miles to run, they came into close proximity with a model aircraft being flown in the area.

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“A crewman spotted the model aircraft as it flew directly towards the Chinook from the 9 o'clock position.

“As the model aircraft approached, it dived below the [Chinook] either by the force of the downwash or under the control of the remote operator.

“It was the flash of the change in the wing profile that made the aircraft visible as the wing cross-section increased.

Once on the ground at Harrogate, the crew discussed the event and elected to continue with the sortie as it was a model aircraft and had not interfered with the Chinook.

“The model was described as a green/brown replica historic model aircraft without lights.

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“The UKAB Secretariat contacted the local scale-model flying club but efforts to trace the pilot were unsuccessful.”

“In the Board’s opinion, the reported altitude and description of the object were sufficient to indicate that it was probably a model aircraft.

“The account of the incident portrayed a situation where safety had been much reduced below the norm to the extent that safety had not been assured.”