Plane aborts landing at Warsaw airport due to drone
A plane flying from Prague to Warsaw was forced to abort its landing at Warsaw Chopin Airport on 13 November after a drone was spotted in its approach path.
Source: European Pravda, citing Wirtualna Polska
Details: The incident occurred on 13 November when the aircraft was already at a low altitude and preparing to land. The pilot was forced to abruptly stop its descent and climb again after a drone unexpectedly appeared in the aircraft's approach path.
The captain informed passengers that the decision to abort the landing had been made immediately because of the presence of a UAV.
The aircraft then remained in a holding pattern over Warsaw for some time. The crew subsequently made another landing approach, this time successfully.
Warsaw airport spokesperson Piotr Rudzki confirmed the incident to Wirtualna Polska.
"Such an incident did indeed occur, but flight safety was not compromised in any way. This was a standard procedure, and flights are operating as normal," he stated.
Polish law provides for a prison sentence of up to five years for creating an immediate risk of an aviation disaster. A court may also impose a substantial fine of tens of thousands of Polish złotys (for reference, 10,000 złotys is about US$2,500).
Background:
- On 15 September, an unidentified drone crashed one kilometre from a German Bundeswehr air base. It remains unclear who owned the drone or where it came from.
- On 1 September, Germany directly accused Russia of a hybrid attack at Leipzig airport in early August and announced countermeasures.
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