Report on military aviation incident involving a Skyranger drone operated from the ship KV Heimdal on 1 March 2026
Defence report 2026/05
The Norwegian Safety Investigation Authority has published a report after 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 has shown that the drone was flown in an area where the combined environmental impacts led to the loss of control. The drone had not been sufficiently tested to identify and correct these vulnerabilities.
The Norwegian Safety Investigation Authority belives that operational testing of drones must be conducted prior to acquisition, rather than relying solely on declarations of conformity to verify requirements.
This report is in Norwegian only. No safety recommendation is issued in connection with this investigation.
Published 08.09.2026
Facts
| Location | Harstad harbour |
| Occurrence date | 01.03.2026 |
| Category of Occurrence | Incident |
| Defence branch | Royal Norwegian Navy |
| Incident type | Aviation |
| County | Troms |