Canada Confirms UAV Struck Commercial Aircraft

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) struck a commercial aircraft last week as it flew into Quebec City airport, the Canadian Minister of Transport said in a statement Sunday. The aircraft, flown by Skyjet, sustained minor damage but landed safely.

The Oct. 12 incident marked the first time a UAV hit a commercial aircraft in Canada, Minister Marc Garneau said.

Skyjet is a Quebec-based charter airline operating King Air and Beechcraft 1900D turboprops. The minister did not identify the type of aircraft that was struck.

"Transport Canada is monitoring the situation and is in contact with its transportation partners including Skyjet, the Jean Lesage International Airport and NAV Canada. My department is in contact with the Service de police de la Ville de Québec and we will cooperate with the Transportation Safety Board should they decide to investigate," Garneau said.

Transport Canada issued new operational rules March 16, effective immediately. The rules affect operations of recreational UAVs weighing between 250g (.55 lb.) and 35kg (77 lb.), and include the specification that recreational operators cannot fly UAVs within nine kilometers (5.6 miles) of the center of any airport, heliport, aerodrome or water aerodrome where aircraft take off and land.

So far in 2017, 1,596 drone incidents have been reported to the department in 2017. Of these, 131 are deemed to have been of aviation safety concern.

"Although the vast majority of drone operators fly responsibly, it was our concern for incidents like this that prompted me to take action and issue interim safety measures restricting where recreational drones could be flown. I would like to remind drone operators that endangering the safety of an aircraft is extremely dangerous and a serious offense," Garneau said.

(Evangle Luo of TTFLY shared with you)