Two Aircraft Were Within 80 Feet Of Colliding At 1,500 Feet

An ATR72 on approach to Southend Airport near London came within 80 feet of colliding with a UAV, according to a report from the U.K.'s Airprox Board.

The incident occurred on May 30th, according to the report, which assessed the risk of collision as "High". The co-pilot of the airliner said that it was his impression that whoever was flying the quadcopter came "deliberately close" to his airplane 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."

The pilot of the UAV has not been located.

An analysis of radar tracks shows "some intermittent contacts were shown by the radar in the different modes." The AT72 pilot believed that he had sighted a quadcopter close to his right wing-tip and gave the distance as 100m, reducing to 25m. The police were subsequently notified by ATC, and two model flying clubs that operate in the area were also contacted. It has not been possible to trace the unknown aircraft.

The Airprox board determined that the AT72 pilot "had clearly seen the quadcopter but, unfortunately, there was too little information available to make a meaningful analysis of the occurrence or to accurately assess the risk. Members were disappointed that someone would fly a quadcopter so high on the extended approach path to an airport, and that no quadcopter operator had come forward to help with the analysis."

(Graphic provided by the Airprox Board)

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