A lack of regulation has been blamed for a drone hitting a British Airways passenger jet, as it emerged that police have failed to investigate 40 near-misses in the past year. Calls for action to mitigate the threat to passenger aircraft from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) came from Europe’s main regional airline trade group and others following an April 17 incident at London Heathrow Airport.
The Government is now considering radical measures to clamp down on unmanned aircrafts, such as introducing geo-sensing technology, which enables drones to be disabled mid-air as they approach danger zones.
The drone which crashed into a British Airways jet over Heathrow airport on Sunday night had been flying at around 1,700 ft near Richmond Park in south west London, over four times higher than the legal height limit.
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch is investigating the incident, alongside the Metropolitan Police but critics warn that it will be almost impossible to the culprit since there is no means of tracing the drone owner.
MP David Burrowes, who sits on the Home Affairs Select Committee, warned that drones can no longer be treated as an “innocent leisure pursuit” because of the risk they pose to lives of people in the air. He called for drone owners to sign a mandatory register, adding that those flying more sophisticated models should need a licence.
Mr Burrowes, MP for Enfield Southgate, said: “One of the problems for police is they haven’t got much chance of enforcing things if they don’t know who owns these drones and so they need help to do this. If you’re willing to buy that type of sophisticated drone you should be willing to accept a basic registration system.” He said the Heathrow incident was “appalling”, adding: “The prospect of drones colliding with planes is very serious. We can’t just ignore it.”
Last month the House of Lords EU Committee called for the compulsory registration of all commercial and civilian drones,claiming that it would allow the government to track and manage drone traffic and address safety concerns.
The Committee published a report highlighting the growing public concern over the use of drones by private individuals with little knowledge of aviation rules.
Current UK legislation by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) dictates that drones must be operated “within sight”, meaning below 400ft in altitude or further than 500 metres horizontally.
Drones must be kept away from all aircrafts, airports and airfields, and must not be flown over large gatherings such as concerts and sports events. The UK Airprox Board logged 40 instances of near-miss collisions between drones and aircrafts in 2015, none of which were investigated by police.
A spokesman for the UK’s national air traffic service (NATS) said: “What’s required is a combination of regulation, technology and the better education of drone users around their responsibilities as pilots”.
National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for Unmanned Aerial Systems, Assistant Chief Constable Steve Barry also suggested he favoured more rigid regulations. “Currently, I’d say the greatest risk is to people on the ground but there have been a number of potentially serious incidents involving aircraft,” he said .
“It is vital that formal regulations keep pace with new technology.” A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “Drones must be operated safely so that members of the public and other aircraft are not put at risk.
“The government is leading efforts with international bodies to develop a stringent regulatory framework focusing on safety and a working group is looking at the issue.
“Police forces across the country have been provided with guidance and there will be a public consultation before a government strategy is published later this year.”
The incident highlighted the threat that drones posed to the safety of European airspace, said the European Regions Airline Association (ERA).
ERA DG Simon McNamara said there was “a need for swift action to protect Europe’s passengers, crews and residents through better regulation of European airspace with regards to drones.”
He added, “Worryingly, only some European Union member states have regulations for the flying of smaller remotely piloted aircraft systems [RPAS]. With a dramatic increase in the use and commercialisation of [UAVs], European aviation needs to act now to harmonize standards and rules across the region.”
Meanwhile, the UK’s main commercial pilots’ union, the British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA), reiterated that UAVs are rapidly becoming a danger to commercial flights, with a spate of near-misses prior to the April 17 incident. The pilot of the aircraft said he believed the collision involved a UAV, although this has still to be officially confirmed.
“Pilots can see that drones can be useful and fun to fly, but these near misses are becoming too regular an occurrence,” BALPA flight safety specialist Steve Landells said. “The authorities must enforce current regulations and make sure new ones, such as compulsory insurance and registration, are brought in without delay.”
BALPA’s US equivalent, ALPA, has expressed similar concerns. A compulsory register for recreational drone users is already in place in the US.
“Pilots want to ensure technology to prevent drones from flying in areas of dense air traffic are 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,” Landells said. “Anyone flying a drone must do so in a safe and sensible way. If you don’t follow the rules or show consideration to others when flying you should be aware of the severe penalties you could face.”
A Heathrow spokesperson said in a statement Monday that stronger regulation and enforcement action “must be a priority for the government to ensure that the airspace around British airports remains amongst the safest in the world.”
“Anyone operating an unmanned aerial vehicle has an obligation to know the rules and ensure they are capable of operating it safely. Doing so in proximity to an airfield or aircraft is both illegal and clearly irresponsible,” he said.
Sources: Daily Telegraph; Air Transport World
“Thump”
“What was that?”
“I dunno, let’s say it was a drone.”