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Police hunting drone operator after ‘near miss’ with plane at Newquay Airport with 62 people on board

Police said the incident showed a ‘complete disregard for human safety’

Lizzie Dearden
Thursday 11 August 2016 10:21 BST
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A drone, similar to the one above, approached the plane as it came in to land
A drone, similar to the one above, approached the plane as it came in to land

A passenger plane landing at Newquay Airport with 62 people on board has narrowly missed colliding with a drone in the latest incident to spark concern about the gadgets.

Police launched an investigation after the incident on Wednesday afternoon and were appealing for information on the operator of the drone.

Inspector Dave Meredith said the plane was approaching the runway shortly before 3pm when the remotely piloted device approached.

Everything you need to know to fly domestic drones legally

“The plane was at 900ft and was approximately two miles from the airport, just south of St Columb Major, when it reported a near miss with a drone which flew alongside the aircraft," he added.

“Police immediately conducted a search of the area but neither the drone nor its operator could be located."

Drones, also known as remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), can be bought commercially but must be operated in line with Civil Aviation Authority rules.

They must not be flown above 400ft or near planes, helicopters, airports and airfields for safety.

Inspector Meredith described the incident at Newquay Airport as “incredibly concerning”.

“The close proximity of the drone to the passenger aircraft shows a complete disregard by the operator for public safety and we are appealing to the public for information to help us track down this reckless drone operator,” he added.

“We view such incidents very seriously and the forces’ specialist drone unit will be leading on the investigating into this incident.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101, email 101@dc.police.uk quoting police log 443, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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