Calls for crackdown on drones amid fears of passenger jet disaster after FOUR serious near-misses are recorded at British airports within TWO WEEKS of each other
- UK Airprox Board (UKAB) published report showing six drone incidents
- Five incidents were given the board's highest rating for potential risk
- One case had Boeing 777 avoiding drone at 2,000ft - double legal altitude
- Pilot said unless action was taken the lives of passengers could be at risk
A pilot has warned that the lives of passengers are at risk if action is not taken over the flying of drones, after four serious near misses at British airports.
The UK Airprox Board (UKAB) published details of six different incidents involving drones, including five which were classed in the most serious category.
Four of the incidents involved passenger airliners over English airports and took place within around two weeks of each other, between August 27 and September 13 last year.
Safety: Pilot Steve Landells said action must be taken over drones or passengers could be at risk (file photo)
The category A cases happened in airspace near Heathrow, Stansted, London City and Manchester airports.
One of the near misses featured an aircraft flying over the River Thames, on approach to London City Airport, and spotting a drone hovering over the Houses of Parliament.
The only drone incident not involving an airliner was with a Chinook military helicopter at Odiham in Hampshire.
Steve Landells, flight safety specialist at the British Airline Pilots Association, said: 'We must now act to protect passengers and flight crew and make sure a catastrophic crash does not happen.'
In one recent case a 'quadcopter' drone narrowly missed hitting the wing of a Boeing 777 shortly after it took off from Heathrow Airport.
The incident on September 22 happened at 2,000 feet, which is double the legal altitude for drones transmitting live video to their operators.
The jet pilot said the drone narrowly passed down the right hand side of their airliner and there was no time to take action.
It was concluded by the UKAB that the drone was at the same height and within 25 metres of the jet, meaning 'chance had played a major part' in there being no collision.
Although a report was made to the police, the drone operator was not traced.
Close: The graphic shows the flight path of the Boeing 777 which avoided the drone at 2,000ft above Heathrow
A Boeing 777, similar to this, came within 25 metres of a drone that was double its legal altitude (file photo)
Mr Landells, a former pilot, called for the introduction of new regulations 'without delay'.
He said: 'Pilots want to ensure technology to prevent drones from flying in areas of dense air traffic is put in place and also want drone designers to liaise with air traffic controllers to look at ways they can adapt drones to ensure they can be seen easily on radars.
'Pilots can see that drones can be useful and fun to fly, but these near misses are becoming too regular an occurrence.'
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