According to a report published by Aviation Source News, a drone is the likely cause of wing damage to the Emirates A380 that operated the rotation between Dubai and Nice on 18 August.
“It is understood that the BEA, the aircraft accident investigators in France, are looking into this incident,” says the report. “At the time of writing, they haven’t been able to confirm the occurrence of a drone, or whether something else has caused this damage to the jet, but indications are suggesting it is a drone collision with the jet.
“If it is a drone, then there could be criminal penalties assigned to this, as drone usage around airports is typically prohibited, especially in France,” says Aviation Source News.
According to @aviationbrk on Twitter, a section of the wing’s leading edge has been damaged, and the aircraft has been grounded until repairs can be made.
Industry commentators expect more occurrences of this nature as drone usage increases and call for a “comprehensive approach: site evaluations, identifying critical zones, tracking repeat offenders, fostering collaboration among agencies, precise data collection and risk assessment, in addition to detection and jamming tools”.
(Image: RadarBox.com)
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