Canadian RPAS Accidents & Incidents: Who to Call and When to Stop

krdroneworks
Dec 15, 2025
4 min read

By: Colonel (ret) Bernie Derbach, KR Droneworks: 15 Dec 25

A pilot is required to cease operations immediately following any incident or accident.

If you operate a drone under CARs Part IX (small RPAS, 250g–25kg), you already know the importance of flying safely. But when things go wrong, do you know exactly what to do? Many pilots are confused about whether to call Transport Canada (TC) or the Transportation Safety Board (TSB)—or if they need to call anyone at all.

This guide breaks down the requirements for ceasing operations, reporting, and record keeping to keep you compliant.

1. The Golden Rule: Cease Operations Immediately

Before you worry about paperwork, you must ensure safety. Under CARs 901.49, if you are involved in an incident or accident, you are legally required to stop flying immediately.

You cannot resume operations until:

You have analyzed the cause of the occurrence.
You have taken corrective actions to prevent it from happening again.

Trigger Events for Ceasing Operations (CARs 901.49):

Injuries to any person requiring medical attention.
Unintended contact between the aircraft and persons.
Unanticipated damage to the airframe, control station, payload, or command and control links.
Any time the aircraft falls outside the "boundaries of operation" (e.g., a fly-away).

Note: This applies to any incident listed above, regardless of whether you have to report it to the government. You must fix the problem before you fly again.

2. Who is the Primary Reporting Agency?

The Transportation Safety Board (TSB) is the primary agency for reporting serious aviation occurrences.

There is a common misconception that you always report to Transport Canada first. In reality, reportable aviation accidents and incidents are reported to the TSB because their role is to investigate and advance safety.

Serious accidents and reportable incidents are submitted directly to the TSB through their online portal.

When to Report to the TSB?

According to the TSB Regulations and TC AIM RPA 3.0, you must report to the TSB "as soon as possible and by the quickest means available" if:

A. An Accident Occurs (Any RPAS Weight):

A person is killed or sustains a serious injury as a result of coming into direct contact with any part of the RPAS.
The RPAS collides with another aircraft.

B. A Reportable Incident Occurs (RPAS > 25 kg): If you are flying a larger drone (over 25 kg), the list of reportable incidents grows (e.g., engine failure, control system failure, inability to remain within approved airspace).

For standard Part IX pilots (250g – 25kg): Unless there is a serious injury or a collision with a manned aircraft, you generally do not need to file a formal report with the TSB. However, you must still record it internally (see Section 4).

3. When Do You Report to Transport Canada?

Transport Canada (TC) is the regulator, not the accident investigator. However, there are specific times you must deal with them:

SFOC Operations: If you are flying under a Special Flight Operations Certificate (SFOC), strictly follow the reporting conditions listed in your certificate. Most SFOCs have a condition requiring you to report all incidents to TC, often within a specific timeframe (e.g., 24 hours).
Loss of Control (Fly-aways): If your drone flies away into controlled airspace or poses an immediate hazard to aviation, you should contact the appropriate Air Traffic Control unit (NAV CANADA) immediately, which often triggers a chain of communication to TC.

Pilots operating under an SFOC must adhere to the specific reporting conditions outlined in their certificate, often requiring direct reporting to Transport Canada.

4. Mandatory Record Keeping

Even if an event isn't serious enough to call the TSB, you are legally required to keep a paper trail. CARs 901.48 dictates strict record-keeping rules for every flight and every defect.

Flight Records (Keep for 12 months): You must record the names of the pilot and crew, date, time, duration, and location of every flight.
Maintenance & Incident Records (Keep for 24 months): You must record details of any mandatory action, maintenance, repair, or modification.
- Crucially: If a "reportable" event occurs (as defined in the Cease Operations section), you must record the analysis you did and the corrective action taken.

Why is this important? If Transport Canada audits you, they will ask to see these records to prove you followed the "Cease Operations" protocol after a crash.

Maintaining a detailed technical log of all maintenance, repairs, and incidents is a legal requirement for RPAS owners, as per CARs 901.48.

Summary Checklist

Action	Requirement	Reference
Stop Flying	Immediately after any injury, unintended contact, or unanticipated damage.	CARs 901.49
Report to TSB	ASAP if there is death, serious injury, or collision with manned aircraft.	TC AIM RPA 3.0
Report to TC	If required by your SFOC or if the event involves a regulatory breach.	SFOC Conditions
Record Keeping	Keep technical records (maintenance/accidents) for 24 months.	CARs 901.48