Saved by the drone!


This page is dedicated to our first responders. I highlight stories where drones played a role in search and rescue operations.  

In September 2018 I was asked to help search for a missing hiker in Washington State. I was dropped by helicopter atop Vesper Peak where I flew my Phantom 4 Pro on several search missions on the mountain and valleys below. The experience motivated me to study and learn about the situations where drones had been used to find a missing person. This page is devoted to the use of drones in search and rescue efforts. I am collecting stories and accounts where drones were used to locate a missing person and  save a life.

Crowders Mountain, NC
North Carolina police department drone helps locate missing person

Scottsdale, AZ
Scottsdale Police Drones find missing elderly man

Kent, England
Drone footage shows moment woman was found with broken leg after eight hours

Ellensburg, WA
Missing 3-year-old girl found in rural Ellensburg by Kittitas County sheriff’s drone pilot

Washington County, WI
Wisconsin first responders rescue man lost in Jackson Marsh after mom calls for help

MURFREESBORO, Tenn.
With the help of drones, an elderly man with health complications was returned quickly to his family by first responders after he went missing Thursday.

Whitesburg, KY
Perry County Sheriff’s thermal drone programs helps find missing special needs residents

Clinton, Oklahoma
Clinton first responders use borrowed drone to find missing 2-year-old

Bullitt County, Ky.
A missing person in Bullitt County was found within minutes thanks to a new police drone

Outagamie County, WI
Police use drone to locate a missing endangered man 

Dartmouth, MA
Dartmouth Police se drone to locate missing 2-year old child

Eau Claire, WI
Drone credited for helping find missing Osseo man after Silver Alert issued

Lake James, IN
Police use drones to locate missing elderly woman

Corsham, UK
The moment a drone saves a missing pensioner