A passenger plane came within seconds of crashing into a “drone” during a dramatic near-miss on approach to Glasgow Airport.
The Saab 340 aircraft was arriving shortly before 11am on October 23 when both pilots spotted the unknown object in front of them.
The concerned pilots reported the incident to air traffic control, with a later investigation finding there was a “high” risk of collision and the safety of passengers on board had been compromised.
They say the unidentified craft was only 25 metres ahead of them and around 100 feet above when the dramatic near miss occurred – with it passing by within around two seconds.
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They told the UK Airprox Board how, under good weather conditions, they saw the “drone-like” object, but such was the nature of the quick near-miss that they failed to have time to react and determine more details of the aircraft.
The risk report said: “The Board considered that the pilot’s overall account of the incident portrayed a situation where safety had been much reduced below the norm to the extent that safety had not been assured.”
It added that later that day another flight also spotted the drone – with the pilot during the first incident later confirming it was the same object.
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The second pilot records seeing “the drone during the approach, the whiteness and apparent stillness made it easy to see. It was a large white drone, with no lights seen and an underslung load”.
Unlike the earlier incident, there was a greater distance between the aircraft and the drone, with no risk of collision.
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