An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) reportedly got way too close for comfort with aircraft at Canada's Vancouver International Airport.
CBC News reports that someone noticed the UAV hovering next to the glide path where planes were landing on Monday, June 30.
Canada’s transportation agency and the police are investigating the incident – which adds to several other investigations in which UAVs were seen flying too close to the Vancouver airport.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police Sgt. Cam Kowalski is calling the incident “incredibly dangerous and incredibly stupid,” according to the report. If the operator is identified, he or she could face a hefty fine or even criminal charges.
As opposed to the Federal Aviation Administration’s rules that model aircraft operators flying within five miles of an airport must notify the airport operator and air traffic control tower and receive permission, Canada does not have the same rules. Rather, UAVs must be under 35 kg and must keep a considerable distance from busy or restricted flying areas.
In March, a UAV came very close to colliding with a passenger jet that was approaching a Tallahassee, Fla., airport.
The full CBC News report can be found here.
