Cops investigating near miss between drone and passenger plane landing at Newquay Airport
COPS are investigating reports of a "near miss" between a drone and a passenger plane near Newquay airport on Tuesday.
Devon and Cornwall police are looking into the "reckless" incident involving a passenger plane containing 62 people.
Officers searched the nearby area but found neither the drone nor its operator.
Inspector Dave Meredith said: "The aircraft was travelling at around 900ft and was approximately two miles from the airport, just south of St Columb Major, when it reported a near-miss with a drone which flew alongside the aircraft.
"Police immediately conducted a search of the area but neither the drone nor its operator could be located."
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Inspector Dave Meredith added: "This is an incredibly concerning incident; the close proximity of the drone to the passenger aircraft shows a complete disregard by the operator for public safety, and we are appealing to the public for information to help us track down this reckless drone operator."
The robotic device came close to hitting the plane at around 900ft on its approach into the airport.
The crew reported the near-miss as soon as they landed just after 3pm on Tuesday.
The aircraft involved in the incident was a Flybe service from London Stansted.
A spokeswoman for Cornwall Airport Newquay said the drone was being flown without permission inside the airport's air traffic zone.
She said: "On Tuesday at approximately 2.45pm the pilot of a landing scheduled air service sighted a drone being flown within the Newquay Air Traffic Zone and adjacent to the final approach to the airport.
"Although on this occasion there was no danger of collision, ATC reported this incident to the police as the drone should not have been flown in that area without ATC clearance and posed a potential danger to incoming flights."
The plane involved in the drone near-miss was an ATR 72, a twin-engine turboprop which is popular on short-haul routes.
It can seat up to 78 passengers and crew.
The incident was the latest in a series involving drones and commercial aircraft.
In April, police said a British Airways passenger jet was hit by what most likely was a drone as it prepared to land at London's Heathrow Airport, Europe's busiest airport.
The plane landed safely but the increasing use of drones for commercial purposes, photography or leisure has led to fears they pose a serious risk to passenger aircraft.
Britain's Civil Aviation Authority last year issued a warning after seven incidents in less than 12 months where drones had flown near planes at different British airports.
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