Dear Allen
I am writing to acknowledge receipt of your email below where you made a request for information in accordance with the Official Information Act 1982.

The CAA received your request on 8 August and will endeavour to respond as soon as possible and in any event no later than 5 September 2019, being 20 working days after the day your request was received.

If you wish to discuss any aspect of your request with us, please do not hesitate to contact me by email [CAA request email] or by telephone (04) 560 9472 referencing 20/OIR/069.

Kind regards

Michelle van Straalen | Official Information and Privacy Officer
Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand Aviation Security Service
Te Mana Rererangi Tūmatanui o Aotearoa | Kaiwhakamaru Rererangi

Legal Services

+64 (0)4 560 9472 | ext 4472 [email address]
Level 15, Asteron Centre, 55 Featherston Street, PO Box 3555, Wellington, 6011 New Zealand
 Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail

-----Original Message-----
From: Allen Reynolds <[FOI #10922 email]>
Sent: Thursday, 8 August 2019 10:56 AM
To: OIA <[email address]>
Subject: Official Information request - Aviation Safety and RPAS/Drones – Update 2

Allen REYNOLDS
Auckland
New Zealand

08 August 2019

Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand

Dear Sir or Madam

Official information request: Aviation Safety and RPAS/Drones – Update 2

Please supply the following information under the Official Information Act (OIA):

The CAA introduced new rules in late 2015, Parts 101 and 102, to “better manage safety risks of RPAS” (CAA Vector magazine May/Jun 2015, page 3).

So, let’s update what’s been happening…

Specifically –
- for the period 01 January 2018 to 31 July 2019

- please provide details of all reports, of Accidents* and Incidents* involving RPAS, reported to CAA (*per the Civil Aviation Act)
- please provide details of all reports, of Occurrences involving RPAS, to CAA that fall outside the Act
- please provide details of all reports involving RPAS, “of what the CAA calls “Aviation Related Concerns” (ARCs)” - (Vector May/Jun 2015 page 13)

- from reporting by civil and military aviation participants, and/or by members of the public (including manned fliers, unmanned fliers, and non-fliers)

- please reply in the same format as your responses to my OIA requests of 19 February 2017 and 02 April 2018 (both thru FYI)

listing –
- date and time
- location, and Aerodrome name and ICAO code if within 4 km
- RPAS details
- details of other aircraft involved
- nature of the incident, including details of people, and any injuries…
- agencies involved and their actions – eg. CAA, Police, Airways, TAIB, military…
- outcomes – eg. Court case, fines, drone/operator not found…

If you need any more information from me please let me know as soon as possible.

I understand that a decision on a request for information under the OIA should be made within 20 working days of receiving that request.

If you do not normally deal with official information requests, or you need advice on dealing with this request, guidance is available from the Ombudsman at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz.

Yours faithfully

Allen Reynolds

-------------------------------------------------------------------

This is an Official Information request made via the FYI website.

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #10922 email]

Is [CAA request email] the wrong address for Official Information requests to Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand? If so, please contact us using this form:
https://fyi.org.nz/change_request/new?bo...

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers

If you find this service useful as an Official Information officer, please ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's OIA or LGOIMA page.

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This e-mail (and its accompanying attachments) is intended for the named recipient only and may contain information that is confidential and subject to legal privilege. If you are not the intended recipient please inform the sender and destroy the message. If you have received this message in error you must not distribute or copy this e-mail or its attachments. The Civil Aviation Authority accepts no responsibility for any changes made to this message after the transmission from the Civil Aviation Authority. Before opening or using attachments, check them for viruses and other effects. This communication may be accessed or retained for information assurance and cyber security purposes.

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Dear Mr Reynolds

We refer to your requests dated 8 August 2019 requesting information about all reported incidents and accidents involving remotely piloted aircraft during the period 1 January 2018 to 31 July 2019.

Decision

Please find information attached.

Please note that personal information of people reporting or submitting RPAS occurrences has been withheld in accordance with section 9 (2)(a) of the Official Information Act (the Act). We considered if there was public interest in the release names, phone numbers and home addresses of submitters but in our view the privacy of individuals should be preserved.

We are also withholding information about aircraft involved in accordance to the grounds of section 9(2)(ba)(i) of the Act. This information is being withheld to prevent prejudice to the future reporting of occurrences which is mandatory under the Civil Aviation Act 1990. The CAA needs to maintain a positive relationship with participants so they continue to report occurrences in good faith. Disclosing information which would allow participants to be identified may reduce full and accurate reporting of occurrences. Full and accurate reporting by participants allows for effective regulation by the CAA.

Also parts of your request are being refused pursuant to section 18(f) of the Act. This is because responding in full to your request will require substantial manual collation and research. The CAA does not always enter information in the occurrence record in respect of the aircraft details of other aircraft involved, other agencies involved or the final outcomes (i.e. prosecution, issue of warning letter, fine, inability to contact operator etc) for RPAS occurrences. In order to collate that information each individual record would need to be opened and assessed and cross-referenced with other records such as enforcement, aviation related concern, or safety investigation records. The CAA has considered whether extending or charging for this request would enable the entire of your request to be granted, but unfortunately this organisation does not have personnel to review and collate information pertaining over 750 occurrences.

You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this decision. Information about how to make a complaint is available at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone 0800 802 602.

If you wish to discuss this decision with us, please feel free to contact the writer.

Kind regards

Diana Johnson
Solicitor
Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand | Aviation Security Service Te Mana Rererangi Tūmatanui o Aotearoa | Kaiwhakamaru Rererangi Level 15 | Asteron Centre | 55 Featherston Street | PO Box 3555 | Wellington | 6011
(DDI) +64 (4) 560 9450 |

CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This electronic mail transmission is confidential, may be privileged and should be read or retained only by the intended recipient. If you have received this transmission in error, please immediately notify the sender and delete it from your system.

Diana Johnson
Solicitor
Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand | Aviation Security Service
Te Mana Rererangi Tūmatanui o Aotearoa | Kaiwhakamaru Rererangi
Level 15 | Asteron Centre | 55 Featherston Street | PO Box 3555 | Wellington | 6011
(DDI) +64 (4) 560 9450 |

CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This electronic mail transmission is confidential, may be privileged and should be read or retained only by the intended recipient. If you have received this transmission in error, please immediately notify the sender and delete it from your system.

-----Original Message-----
From: Allen Reynolds <[FOI #10922 email]>
Sent: Thursday, 8 August 2019 10:56 AM
To: OIA <[email address]>
Subject: Official Information request - Aviation Safety and RPAS/Drones – Update 2

Allen REYNOLDS
Auckland
New Zealand

08 August 2019

Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand

Dear Sir or Madam

Official information request: Aviation Safety and RPAS/Drones – Update 2

Please supply the following information under the Official Information Act (OIA):

The CAA introduced new rules in late 2015, Parts 101 and 102, to “better manage safety risks of RPAS” (CAA Vector magazine May/Jun 2015, page 3).

So, let’s update what’s been happening…

Specifically –
- for the period 01 January 2018 to 31 July 2019

- please provide details of all reports, of Accidents* and Incidents* involving RPAS, reported to CAA (*per the Civil Aviation Act)
- please provide details of all reports, of Occurrences involving RPAS, to CAA that fall outside the Act
- please provide details of all reports involving RPAS, “of what the CAA calls “Aviation Related Concerns” (ARCs)” - (Vector May/Jun 2015 page 13)

- from reporting by civil and military aviation participants, and/or by members of the public (including manned fliers, unmanned fliers, and non-fliers)

- please reply in the same format as your responses to my OIA requests of 19 February 2017 and 02 April 2018 (both thru FYI)

listing –
- date and time
- location, and Aerodrome name and ICAO code if within 4 km
- RPAS details
- details of other aircraft involved
- nature of the incident, including details of people, and any injuries…
- agencies involved and their actions – eg. CAA, Police, Airways, TAIB, military…
- outcomes – eg. Court case, fines, drone/operator not found…

If you need any more information from me please let me know as soon as possible.

I understand that a decision on a request for information under the OIA should be made within 20 working days of receiving that request.

If you do not normally deal with official information requests, or you need advice on dealing with this request, guidance is available from the Ombudsman at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz.

Yours faithfully

Allen Reynolds

-------------------------------------------------------------------

This is an Official Information request made via the FYI website.

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #10922 email]

Is [CAA request email] the wrong address for Official Information requests to Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand? If so, please contact us using this form:
https://fyi.org.nz/change_request/new?bo...

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers

If you find this service useful as an Official Information officer, please ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's OIA or LGOIMA page.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

This e-mail (and its accompanying attachments) is intended for the named recipient only and may contain information that is confidential and subject to legal privilege. If you are not the intended recipient please inform the sender and destroy the message. If you have received this message in error you must not distribute or copy this e-mail or its attachments. The Civil Aviation Authority accepts no responsibility for any changes made to this message after the transmission from the Civil Aviation Authority. Before opening or using attachments, check them for viruses and other effects. This communication may be accessed or retained for information assurance and cyber security purposes.

hide quoted sections