Investigation of an incident with a drone operated from a coastguard vessel in Harstad
The Norwegian Safety Investigation Authority has opened a safety investigation into the incident involving a Skyranger R70 drone operated by the Coast Guard. The incident occurred on 1 March 2026 when the drone pilot lost control of the drone while flying from KV Heimdal.
While the KV Heimdal was docked in Harstad, drone pilots flew the drone eight times without any incidents. On the next flight, when the drone flew over the dock area, the drone pilot noticed that the drone accelerated and that it no longer responded to commands. The drone continued to fly along a building, and crashed into it and fell down.
The investigation will seek to identify why control was lost and whether the drone was capable of fullilling its intended role.
The investigation will clarify the sequence of events and the contributing factors to the incident. Based on this, the NSIA will assess areas for improving safety.
It is not the NSIA’s task to apportion blame or liability under criminal or civil law. The purpose of the investigation is solely to learning and the prevention of serious incidents and accidents.
This investigation was previously published under aviation, but was moved to defence on 3 June 2026.
Latest update 03.06.2026
Facts
| Location | Harstad harbour |
| Occurrence date | 01.03.2026 |
| Category of Occurrence | Incident |
| Defence branch | Royal Norwegian Navy |
| Incident type | Aviation |
| County | Troms |