Drone Nearly Hits Plane, May Have Been On Purpose

Over the weekend, it was revealed that a drone had a near collision with an passenger aircraft in the UK. A 74-seat ATR 72 was flying over county Essex in route to London Southend Airport when it had the near collision with a quad-copter drone, which was flying at roughly 1,500 feet and came uncomfortably close to the right wing of the craft. According to the report, this was no accident, either.Whoever flew the drone seems to have been aiming for the plane.

The report, filed by the UK Airprox Board, includes a transcript of the conversation between the pilot of the passenger aircraft and the control tower. In that conversation, the tower confirmed recent sightings of the same kind of red and black drone in the area.

It seems that the drone's flight path and altitude give the Board cause to consider it was meant to collide with the aircraft.

The drone's owner and/or pilot have not been discovered, either.

This is the latest in a series of events that have regulators concerned about how to proceed with unmanned, piloted aircraft. This might be a UK version of events, but it's likely to draw the attention of regulatory bodies all over the world. As the FAA here in the US takes a long, hard look at drones, this won't bode well for enthusiasts.

Source: Daily Mail