Pilots report more near-misses with drones over UK
A Civil Aviation Authority report has revealed details of three more near-misses between commercial passenger aircraft and drones last year.
In the most serious incident, a pilot of an A320 radioed to air traffic control to report that ‘something had just gone over the top of him’ as the plane travelled over north London at 6,000 feet on August 15 at 6.47pm.
The pilot rated the chance of the aircraft hitting the drone as ‘high’ and the UK Airprox Board (UKAB) said it considered ‘a collision had only narrowly been avoided and chance had played a major part’. It labelled the risk as category A, the most serious.
In another incident, an A320 almost collided with a drone as it took off from Gatwick airport. The pilot said he spotted the object as he broke through low cloud and moments later it passed down the right-hand side of the aircraft. He said it was only two wing lengths away and he assessed the risk of a collision as ‘high’.
UKAB decided that safety had been much reduced during the incident at 6.49pm on September 6 and labelled the risk as category B.
The pilot of a Boeing 777 taking off from Newcastle airport on August 27 thought he’d spotted ‘a large black bird’, which passed ‘extremely close’ under the nose of the aircraft at 4,000 feet, he said.
UKAB said safety had been reduced and labelled the incident as category B.
A A319 pilot also reported seeing a drone as she flew into London Heathrow at 5,500 feet, but assessed the risk as ‘low’.
The increase in near-misses between drones and passenger planes has prompted the Department of Transport to consider introducing a number of safety measures, including compulsory registration of new drones, new signage for no-fly zones at sensitive sites including airports, and tougher penalties for flying in such zones.
The Government is also considering making drones electronically identifiable so the owner’s details could be passed onto police if they are spotted breaking the law. None of the owners of the drones involved in the incidents above have been traced.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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