Last-moment swerve by pilot to miss drone
Aircraft came within 65ft of collision
A PILOT was forced to take evasive action to avoid a potentially deadly collision with a drone that came within feet of his plane.
The aircraft was preparing to land when the device was spotted only 65ft away.
Police Scotland warned that there could have been ‘far more serious consequences’ if the Loganair plane had been hit.
Details of the near-miss emerged yesterday. The flight from Shetland was descending at around 4,000ft when the pilot was forced to dodge the drone. The aircraft touched down safely in Edinburgh just after 1pm on Friday.
Officers believe the device may have been controlled from Bathpilot
‘Forced to take evasive action’
gate or Armadale, both in West Lothian.
Guidelines state that drones be kept ‘well away’ from airports and landing strips, should always be within the sight of a pilot and below 400ft to avoid any potential disasters.
Chief Inspector Barry Blair said: ‘The pilot was forced to take evasive action to avoid a collision while preparing to land.
‘Had these aircraft collided, the consequences could have been far more serious.
‘We are working alongside the aviation authorities to identify the of the drone and determine the full circumstances.
‘Drone users are reminded only to operate their craft within the guidelines set out by the Civil Aviation Authority and should consult the legislation should they have any queries about appropriate drone use.’
An Edinburgh Airport spokesman said: ‘People should be in no doubt of the seriousness of this issue. We would ask that all users understand the legislation and guidelines surrounding drone usage and behave responsibly.’
The near-miss comes only weeks after it emerged that another plane – also coming in to land at Edinburgh – came within 75ft of a drone.
The pilot of the easyJet flight had ‘no time to take avoiding action’ during the incident last November, a report revealed. The inquiry into the incident involving the Airbus A319 found that a potentially catastrophic collision was ‘only avoided by providence’.
The drama was rated by the UK Airprox Board, which investigates nearmisses, as category A, its highest level in which ‘serious risk of collision has existed’.
Investigators found the plane had been descending at 3,700ft at 12.09pm on November 25 when the pilot said the craft came ‘very close’ to what appeared to be a drone.
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.’
‘No doubt of seriousness’