Institution responds to drone crash at Heathrow

Philippa Oldham says it's too early to say why the accident at London Heathrow happened

Philippa Oldham, Head of Transport and Manufacturing at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, said in response to the aeroplane hit by a drone in Heathrow over the weekend:

“It is still too early to say exactly why the accident at London Heathrow happened, but the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has strict guidelines about the operation of drones which appear to have been flouted.

“Drones should not be operated near airports and there needs to be a full investigation into who was responsible for this incident with a plan to prevent situations like this happening in future.

“Thankfully nobody was injured on this occasion but we need to make sure we’re properly prepared in future. Research is currently underway to examine exactly what risks drones pose to aeroplanes, according to current scenario planning the impact could be anything from nothing to the destruction of aeroplane’s engine.”