A drone almost took down a passenger plane in the UK

In a report from the UK’s Airprox Board, it was mentioned that the co-pilot of an AT72 that flew close to London did experience a close call, where it went through a near-miss with a quadcopter over at its right wing. For pilots who have long loved the freedom of a bright blue sky, drones are starting to be somewhat a nuisance, and who knows, it might end up as the cause of a tragedy in the near future if there are not too many regulations involved.

To those used to their skies being relatively blue and quiet, drones are something of a pox. It seems, though, that pilots are especially concerned. A report from the UK’s Airprox Board, which examines all safety issues in UK airspace, says that the co-pilot of a passenger plane reported that a quadcopter almost collided with the AT72-500’s right wing. Report No. 2014073 (PDF) says that the plane was on its approach to Southend airport, to the east of London. “The co-pilot formed the impression that the quadcopter had been flown deliberately close to the AT72 because he had seen it around 100m away as it approached from the right-hand side and made a turn to fly in the opposite direction to his aircraft, around 25m away and at the same level,” says the report.