Terror as packed jet misses drone by 75ft
Airliner at 3,700ft had no time to steer clear of danger
A PASSENGER plane came within 75ft of a potentially deadly collision with a drone as it came in to land at a major Scottish airport, investigators have found.
A report found the pilot of the easyJet flight had ‘no time to take avoiding action’ during the incident last November. The airline confirmed the Airbus was an easyJet aircraft. A spokeswhich man said: ‘In line with our standard procedure, the pilot reported the incident and the aircraft landed normally.
‘The safety and wellbeing of passengers and crew is always easyJet’s highest priority.’
The probe into the near-miss with the Airbus A319 found that a potentially catastrophic collision was ‘only avoided by providence’.
The incident was the second in three days involving a drone and a plane in the skies over Scotland.
The drama over Edinburgh was rated by the UK Airprox Board – investigates near misses – as Category A, its highest level in which ‘serious risk of collision has existed’. Investigators revealed the plane was descending at 3,700ft over the capital at 12.09pm on November 25 when the pilot said it came ‘very close’ to what appeared to be a drone.
The report published yesterday states: ‘The pilot noted there was no time to take avoiding action.’
The incident was reported to police but the report notes: ‘The drone operator could not be traced.’ The board ‘considered that the pilot’s estimate of separation, allied to his overall account of the incident, portrayed a situation where collision had only been avoided by providence’.
Three days earlier, another plane had a close call with a drone over Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, after the first officer of an Airbus A320 spotted a device passing the left side of the aircraft.
The pilot was able to offer a detailed description of the drone due to its proximity, which the report said ‘portrayed a situation where safety was not assured’.
Jim Morris, an aviation law specialist and former RAF pilot, said: ‘Drone incidents pose a significant safety threat to airliners and other aircraft. Catastrophic engine failure and wing fire could lead to a serious aircraft accident that could result in death or injuries.’
A spokesman for the Civil Aviation Authority, which polices the skies, said: ‘Anyone flouting the rules can face severe penalties, including five years in prison.’
‘Significant safety threat to airliners’