The pilot of Aer Lingus flight EIN526 saw civilian drone about 150 metres off the right wing …
A drone crossed the path of a passenger plane from an Irish company when it was preparing to land at Paris airport Roissy-Charles de Gaulle, it has been reported on Thursday.
“The police immediately went to the area”
During the descent of the aircraft travelling from Dublin, at an altitude of 7,800 feet (2,300 metres), the pilot of flight EIN526 Aer Lingus spotted at about 150 metres under his right wing a civilian drone, although it seemed to stay at that distance away and not move closer.
After landing, the pilot reported to the Gendarmerie Air Transport (GTA) the incident, which occurred around 3.30pm on Wednesday, while the Airbus A320 which seats 174 passengers flew over the Val-d’Oise department, about 55 km from the airport.
“The police immediately went to the area near Magny-en-Vexin (Val-d’Oise), but didn’t observe the presence of any drone,” said an airport source and it states that an investigation is being entrusted to the GTA.
The main risk comes from the lithium battery
This fact occurs after the serious incident of the 19th February, when an Airbus A320 of Air France was making the approach phase of Roissy, at 5,500 feet (1,600 metres), the pilot had to disconnect the autopilot and perform an emergency maneuvers to avoid a drone that had happened 5 metres under the left wing.
If some mini-UAVs can reach several thousand metres above sea level, changes to such altitude are very amazing. The main risk comes from the lithium battery (a highly flammable material) of the craft.
According to a decree published in December, UAVs are not allowed to fly near airports or flying over inhabited areas and are limited to a maximum of 150 meters within sight of their operator, without exception.
During 2015, the GTA found 8 reports of illegal overflights near Roissy Airport and preliminary investigations were opened, according to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
The DGAC late 2015 estimated that there were between 150,000 and 200,000 recreational drones in France, 98% of micro-UAVs weighing less than 2 kg.
