Reported mysterious drone sighting in Pennsylvania was medical helicopter, family says
WASHINGTON, Pa. (KDKA) — As more people report seeing mysterious drones across the country, a family in Washington County said their loved one's medical helicopter was apparently mistaken for a drone.
The alleged sighting in Washington County on Sunday morning sparked hundreds of comments on social media.
"This drone was flying over our area and everything," Robert Zborowski said. "And in the comments, everybody's all, 'Shoot them down. Shoot them down. If they fly over my place, I'm going to shoot them down.' Well, it's been confirmed that that was her helicopter."
Zborowski said the alleged drone was a medical helicopter. His wife, a medic for 10 years, works for STAT MedEvac. The company shared the flight path the helicopter was taking around the same time and place the alleged drone sighting was made.
"People think these are drones, and in this instance, it was not," Zborowski said. "It was a medical helicopter."
Zborowski said this has been a wake-up call for his family, concerned for his wife's safety and other emergency responders in the sky.
"Quite often, if there's a (landing zone), an incident at night or something, they're flying low and slow circling LZs. They've got landing lights on, usually out in rural communities where a lot of the attitude is to shoot them down. And while I understand people wanting their privacy, one, it's a federal offense, and two, it's not a drone."
The Federal Aviation Administration said pilots must operate drones so they do not pose a hazard to people or property, going on to say, "If you think someone's flying unsafely and it poses an immediate threat, you should contact local law enforcement. The FAA does not regulate privacy, but local privacy laws may apply to drone operations."
