Canada’s transport minister called on drone operators to fly responsibly after one of the aerial vehicles struck a commercial flight above Quebec City on Thursday.
Transport Minister Marc Garneau said the incident occurred on Thursday when a Skyjet plane was struck by a drone as it approached the Jean Lesage airport.
In a statement, Garneau said it was the first time a drone has hit a commercial aircraft in Canada.
“I am extremely relieved that the aircraft only sustained minor damage and was able to land safely,” he said. “This should not have happened, that drone should not have been there. It's important to note that aircraft are particularly vulnerable when they're on final approach coming in.”
An airport spokesman said the plane was arriving from Rouyn-Noranda with eight people aboard when it was struck about three kilometres from the airport.
Drones are prohibited from flying higher than 90 metres; the drone involved in the collision was at 450 metres.
Mathieu Claise said the plane landed safely, but he couldn't comment on the condition of the aircraft or the passengers.
Greg McConnell, the national chairperson of the Canadian Federal Pilots' Association, said the incident "was just a matter of time."
"There are a lot of drones flying, and there are a lot of people flying drones thinking they're toys," he said in a phone interview.
He said that if a bird hitting an airplane engine can cause an emergency landing or "catastrophic event," a drone could do the same. In June, the transport ministry issued an interim order concerning drones, laying out, among other things, maximum heights in which they can fly and also prohibiting their operation in certain airspaces.
Jean Laroche of the Quebec Centre for Aviation Training said many people flying drones haven't even considered the risk of a collision.
"Not with recreational people, they really don't think about that. However they should buy small drones that are not expensive. Just those that I know, there's $500,000 worth of drones in the St. Lawrence River around Montreal, so they're not too, too reliable," said Laroche.
Garneau is worried that other collisions could cause worse damage.
"It is extremely important for people to follow this because if a drone were to hit the window of a cockpit and incapacitate the pilot or were to damage in any way an engine this could have catastrophic results," said Garneau.
Under these rules, it is illegal to fly a recreational drone within 5.5 kilometres of an airport and 1.8 kilometres from a heliport without special permission.
Failure to comply with the regulations could result in fines of up to $25,000 and jail time.
“People should understand that you're liable. There's used to the no-fault system on the road but when you fly a UAV you're liable for any damage you will cause,” said Laroche.
McConnell says he's glad the federal government is taking steps to regulate drones, though he wonders why it seems to be taking so long.
"These things have been around since the 1990s," he said. "Let's get a move on."
Garneau said his department was taking the incident seriously.
“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,” said Garneau. “I would like to remind drone operators that endangering the safety of an aircraft is extremely dangerous and a serious offence.”
He said they were following the situation in partnership with airport officials, Quebec City police, NAV CANADA and the Transportation Safety Board of Canada.
According to Garneau’s statement, 1,596 incidents concerning drones have been reported to the transport ministry thus far in 2017, with 131 of those being deemed safety concerns.
New rules for drone pilots will come into effect next year for drone pilots that will include a minimum age, a written course, and government registration.
“There will be a requirement for drone users to pass a test. They will have to identify the drone, there will be a minimum age level depending on the size of the drone and the awareness will certainly come at that point,” said Garneau.
With files from The Canadian Press
