Airport officials and police are warning Edmontonians who operate drones to follow guidelines set out by Transport Canada, after a large drone was seen by pilots on a WestJet flight.
The airline said WestJet Encore Flight 3362 was approaching the Edmonton International Airport late Tuesday afternoon when it reported a drone flying 2,000 feet below the left wing of the aircraft.
The plane was over the city's southwest when the crew noticed the drone.
“Our flight crew continued their approach without incident or impact to operations as they determined there was no risk to the aircraft, guests or crew,” a WestJet spokesperson said in a statement.
Police said the plane was flying at about 4,000 feet at the time. The drone was flying at a higher altitude than Transport Canada guidelines allow.
“There’s no reason why drones would be up that high,” Edmonton Police Service (EPS) spokesperson Scott Pattison said.
The maximum legal height for a drone to fly is 300 feet – police said the drone operator in this case was breaking the law, and could have put people at risk.
“If it were to get in the engine…the turbines of the airplane, it could certainly complicate its approach,” Pattison said.
The Edmonton International Airport hopes the incident will serve as a warning, since drones are becoming more popular.
“Drone usage is a positive, in many aspects, but safety needs to be absolutely followed,” airport spokesperson Traci Bednard said.
Transport Canada guidelines also state drones must be kept at least 5.6 kilometres away from an airport, must only be flown during the day, and the drone must stay in sight of the operator, so no more than 500 metres away.
Police are still looking for the operator behind the incident, and said charges or fines are possible.
With files from Bill Fortier
