After Heathrow Incident, BACA Calls for Better UAV Regs

The Baltic Air Charter Association issued a call for “immediate action” today on the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), following an incident yesterday in which a British Airways A320 collided with a drone on final approach into London Heathrow International Airport. This incident “brings into sharp focus” the need for immediate legislation regarding these devices, it said. The A320 landed safety, despite the midair.

According to BACA chairman Richard Mumford, “This incident clearly demonstrates the urgent need for better legislation to control the use of drones. While we fully understand the importance of supporting innovation in the market for UAVs, safety and security issues must be paramount.”

The effects of ingestion of a UAV into an aircraft engine, striking a propeller blade or helicopter rotor blade are untested. BACA predicts such scenarios are likely to cause the engine to shut down when the aircraft is at lower altitudes during the takeoff or landing phases of flight. The implications of a collision between a drone and a smaller general aviation aircraft would likely be “far more devastating,” Mumford said.

“We are concerned that the current reactive approach to regulation of the use of drones can only lead to continuing escalation of the number and seriousness of the incidents that occur,” he noted. “We firmly believe that urgent, proactive action must be taken to reverse that trend and to improve aviation safety.”

The UK Civil Aviation Authority acknowledged the incident on Sunday near Heathrow and reiterated that “anyone operating a drone must do so responsibly and observe all relevant rules and regulations.”