Drone collision warning after 11 near misses

‘Serious risk’ to Scottish airport f lights

CONCERNS have been raised over a growing number of drones putting flights at risk at Scottish airports.

Figures show there have been 11 near misses between unmanned aerial vehicles and other aircraft such as planes and helicopters north of the Border in the past three years.

A report by the UK Airprox Board (UKAB), which monitors all near misses involving commercial aircraft, found that nearly half of the incidents since 2016 were rated as category A – the highest – where a ‘serious risk of collision’ existed.

One of the most serious incidents took place in September last year when a drone passed immediately above a commercial passenger jet coming in to land at Glasgow airport.

The UKAB report reveals the pilot spotted a ‘shiny white drone’ just 50 to 100ft above the plane during his final descent.

It was reported that the drone had ‘reflected the landing lights of the aircraft’.

The UKAB board ruled that the drone was being flown at 800ft – twice the permitted height – in an airfield approach path and there had been a ‘high risk of collision’ which was ‘only avoided by providence’.

Another near collision in 2016 saw a drone zip past just 75ft from an EasyJet Airbus as it prepared for a landing at Edinburgh airport.

The UKAB report on the incident stated: ‘The crew noticed it quite late, as it appeared at the 11 o’clock position and passed down the left side of the aircraft at the same level.

‘The pilot noted that there was no time to take avoiding action.’

It is against the law to fly a drone higher than 400ft (120 metres) or in restricted airspace, such as near an airport.

Further restrictions apply if the drone is fitted with a camera.

So far, there have not been any collisions between drones and aircraft in the United Kingdom, but at least seven incidents have been logged worldwide in recent years.

A strike by a drone could break an aircraft’s windscreen, damage the wing or even destroy the engine.

However, the drone operators involved are rarely traced, the UKAB documents show.

Drone sightings caused two days of chaos at Gatwick airport in December, closing the runway and affecting 1,000 flights in what police described as a ‘deliberate act’ of disruption.

Heathrow airport was also forced to ground flights earlier this month after reports that a drone had been spotted in the vicinity of runways.

UK Aviation Minister Baroness Sugg said yesterday: ‘The law could not be clearer that it is a criminal offence.

‘Anyone endangering others in this way faces imprisonment.’