EASA records 39 accidents and serious incidents involving UAS in 2025

(02)The 2026 annual review analyses UAS occurrences in 2025

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which prepares the technical texts for European drone regulation, has published its 2026 annual safety review. The document analyses 2025 in EASA Member States and compares it with the previous ten years. It identifies 39 accidents and serious incidents involving UAS. The data cited relate to EASA Member States and are dated 27 October 2026.

Two accidents caused serious injuries to people in 2025. In 2024, no injury of any kind had been recorded. One of the 2025 accidents occurred during drone operations for agriculture. The other affected a person piloting a model aircraft, with model aircraft also considered UAS within the scope of the review.

(03)Two accidents with serious injuries and six events involving a manned aircraft

Of the 39 accidents and serious incidents in 2025, 15% involved a manned aircraft in addition to the UAS. This represents six events: one accident and five serious incidents. The 15% share is less than half the 38% in 2024.

The accident involved a collision between a small UAS and a manned balloon. The balloon pilot sustained a minor injury and the balloon envelope was torn at the scoop. The five serious incidents occurred in Germany (two) and Switzerland (three). Four were Airprox events, near misses between aircraft. The manned aircraft concerned were helicopters and fixed-wing aeroplanes.

Among the five serious incidents, one concerns the interference of an unauthorised UAS with the orderly operation of Munich aerodrome. EASA states that many similar incidents occurred at aerodromes in 2025, but that only this one was classified as a serious incident.

(04)Mandatory reporting does not cover all UAS events

Interpretation of the figures depends on the scope of mandatory reporting. EASA specifies that, under the European regulatory framework, occurrences involving UAS for which no certificate or design declaration is required are not subject to mandatory reporting, unless they cause a fatal or serious injury to a person or involve an aircraft other than an uncrewed aircraft. Voluntary reports were nevertheless made.

A UAS remote pilot who becomes aware of having caused an encounter of this type must report the event. EASA notes that self-reporting by UAS remote pilots remains rare. This scope limitation matters for risk analysis: the 39 events do not form an exhaustive inventory of all UAS occurrences. The review does not relate these 39 events to a volume of flight hours or operations. The count distinguishes accidents and serious incidents; it does not detail the share of minor incidents.

(05)What the operator can incorporate into the safety manual

For a safety manual, the 2025 data provide four concrete points: the collision with a manned balloon, the Airprox in Germany and Switzerland, the interference by an unauthorised UAS with Munich aerodrome, and the two accidents with serious injuries. The operator's risk analysis can use these events to document scenarios of encounters with manned aviation, reporting procedures after Airprox and rules for access to aerodrome surroundings. The rarity of self-reporting must weigh in the design of internal procedures: the remote pilot must know when and how to report an event.

The causes of the two accidents with serious injuries are not detailed. The breakdown between serious events and minor incidents does not appear in the count. The number of flight hours corresponding to the 39 events is not provided. These limitations prevent calculating an occurrence rate per flight hour from the published figures alone. They do not prevent tracking the trends that the review makes visible: 39 events in 2025, two accidents with serious injuries after no injuries in 2024, and a share of events with manned aircraft that falls from 38% to 15%. The manual can record these trends as dated points of vigilance.