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19 - Apr - 2016

Drone Hits Aircraft at Heathrow Airport

A British Airways plane carrying 132 passengers got hit by a drone 12:50pm on Sunday as it was landing at Heathrow Airport. According to British Airways spokesman, the aircraft landed safely despite the incidence, after which it was fully examined and cleared for the next flight.

Heathrow aviation police have since then launched an investigation to the incidence which is believed to be the first in the UK.

 Although there have been several stories about near misses with drones in the vicinity, it was an accident that was bound to happen, considering the sheer numbers of air traffic as well as constant sightings of drones in the area.

With this particular incident, no one was harmed, but it is something that is an ongoing concern. As more amateurs purchase drones and use them, they seem to be unaware that there are rules regarding their usage as well as limits on where they can be safely flown. 

With these sorts of incidents, one wonders if the previous discussions of having drone use monitored by the aviation department bore any fruits. There are already rules in place, and here they are: 

•    You are not allowed to fly drones near airplanes, airports and airfields.
•    You can be prosecuted for flying a drone dangerously. The punishment for “recklessly endangering an aircraft” is up to five years in prison. 
•    Unmanned aircraft fitted with cameras must not be flown within 50 metres of people, vehicles, buildings or structures or within 150 metres over a congested area or crowd of people such as at concerts and sports events. 
•    Under the Air Navigation Order 2009 if you fly a drone beyond your line of sight, which is measured as 500 metres horizontally or 400 feet vertically, you can also be prosecuted. 
(The above information was provided courtesy of London24.)

According to authorities, most of the time, these incidents are caused by a lack of education. So in the interim, it seems the best method to reduce these incidents is to better educate drone users, and perhaps this will reduce the problems and people can continue to enjoy drones in the way they were meant to be enjoyed. 

By Airport Pickups London