A 25-year-old university student has been fined for flying a drone near a NSW police helicopter at Echo Point, Katoomba.
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority issued a $900 penalty for the hazardous operation of the drone.
As well as flying close to a PolAir helicopter the man operating the drone crashed it into a tree on a residential property.
The drone flyer was also counselled over previous flights which appeared to have breached drone safety regulations.
The incident happened in September 2016 during a search and rescue operation near Katoomba.
Police saw the drone flying near the Echo Point lookout when PolAir5 was flying low conducting an aerial search.
After the drone crashed police on the ground identified the man operating the drone and referred the matter to CASA for investigation and action.
CASA spokesman Peter Gibson said the incident highlighted the importance of following the drone safety rules at all times.
“Drones must never be flown in a way that causes a hazard to people, property or aircraft,” Mr Gibson said.
“Drones must be kept more than 30 metres from people at all times and always flown in the line of sight of the drone pilot.”