DANGER IN THE SKIES
Aviation expert’s disaster fears as passenger planes are targetted
Hundreds of drone, laser pen and fireworks incidents over Scotland are risking air passengers’ lives.
At least 240 aviation incidents have caused members of the public to raise the alarm during the last 18 months.
They include more than 100 instances of lasers being directed at aircraft – including 24 cases at Glasgow airport in February alone.
Other incidents include drones – small remotecontrol aircraft – being flown near airports and ports.
And a firework was aimed at a military training aircraft near RAF Leuchars last October, although it was not investigated as a crime because the pyrotechnic didn’t have the power to reach anywhere near the plane.
Police and aviation experts are becoming concerned at the increasing number of planes being targeted by lasers.
Last year, 77 reports of laser incidents were recorded while this year’s total is already at 46.
The breakdown of such incidents reported to police this year revealed at least 30 cases connected with Glasgow airport while a five further calls were in the Greater Glasgow area.
Seven related to Edinburgh airport and one to Prestwick. Another was repor ted from Musselburgh on January 27 and one at RAF Leuchars on February 28.
In February this year, we reported how Glasgow airport commander Inspector Bob Smith had warned such laser attacks on planes could have “catastrophic” consequences.
In March, Glasgow man Colin Lochrie, 31, was jailed for 14 months for shining a laser at the Police Scotland helicopter in November 2013.
The pilot at the time was David Traill, who died in the Clutha disaster the day after.
Aviation expert David Howitt, who managed the airfield at Glenforsa on Mull for 50 years, said of the incident figures: “They highlight a range of dangers. Shining a laser near a pilot’s eyes is not just extremely dangerous, it’s criminally dangerous.
“You could be not just taking out the pilot but endangering the aircraft.
“It’s utterly stupid behaviour. Drones are also very dangerous – they have electric motors and so are quite silent.
“If one of those goes through the cockpit of a Boeing 737, you are looking at 180 people being killed.
“A drone could also take out an engine. It’s not unlike a birdstrike which, as we have seen in the past, can bring down an airliner.”
One drone was reported in Paisley flying less than two miles from the final approach into Glasgow airport last month. It’s not known if the person responsible was traced.
It followed a serious case on March 6 which prompted two 999 calls over a drone being flown into the flightpath of a Boeing 737 approaching the airport.
The pilot of the Ryanair flight from Derry in Northern Ireland had no time to take evasive action and passed 100ft over the drone while coming in to land.
Investigators said there was a “definite risk” of a collision. The drone operator was never traced.
Other incidents include a case where a drone crashed on a road in front of a car in Glenrothes in March and one being flown in the flight path at Edinburgh airport in January.
Police said the object was not operating at a height which would have posed a risk to aircraft.
Other incidents detailed in the aviation case reports include a low-flying aircraft near Girvan which sparked a call to police on March 17.
Disruptive airline passengers have been reported 10 times in the last 18 months. And aviation exercises and faulty planes have also led to calls. Officers were put on standby on 20 occasions when incoming aircraft reported a defect.
The figures show aviation cases for the majority of Police Scotland’s 13 divisions.
A spokeswoman said: “Descriptions are based on information passed by the caller and the actual circumstances may differ once further inquiries have been made.
“Individuals report varying matters to police, some of which allege criminality, and others merely report observations.”
A drone can get in an engine and take it out like a bird strike