API 2026, UAS Magnetic Depth of Cover

Drone Survey Finds Exposed Pipeline at Inaccessible River Crossing

 Strong rapids makes it impossible to inspect a pipeline river crossing using conventional methods leaving questions regarding potential river erosion and pipeline exposure.

 Skipper NDT, with its ARGOS drone-mounted magnetic system, gathered data over a specific rapid crossing, safely collecting data across the full 520-foot corridor including directly above the rapids. The survey located the pipeline with inch-level accuracy and identified two exposed sections: one on the riverbank and one in mid-channel. It was the first time the crossing had ever been fully mapped.

 Results were delivered as a complete 3D model ready for use in GIS and integrity management systems.

 When the river makes conventional inspection impossible, a drone can do the job safely and accurately.