The ATSB (Australian Transport Safety Bureau) has launched an investigation into a claimed midair collision between a light aircraft and a drone that happened in the Australian city of Adelaide.
The pilot reported that he believed a drone had hit the plane he was flying in. Not only did the alleged incident happen within the 5.5km controlled space of the aerodrome, but it was also at night, which according to Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) is also a breach of drone rules.
The aircraft managed to land safely but it sustained some minor damage to the right wing. There were no blood or feathers where the impact occurred, which usually how you can tell if a plane has hit a bird.
Just to be clear, the investigation hasn’t concluded that the plane was struck by a drone – but if it was this will mark the first time there has been contact between a plane and a done in Australia.
Just last week there was near miss between a drone and a helicopter over a beach in Sydney. The drone was flying in restricted airspace illegally.
There was also a near miss a few months ago for a motorist on the Sydney Harbour Bridge when a drone fell out of the sky and ricocheted off the road and into a vehicle.
