History of the Flight
On 14 April 2015, the Bombardier DHC-8-402 registered LX-LGG and operated by Luxair S.A. was on an instrument flight rules flight from Munich Airport to Luxembourg Airport. While on final approach to runway 24, at a distance of approximately 3 NM from the runway threshold and at an altitude of 2300 ft, the aircraft experienced a near miss with a remotely piloted aircraft system (RPAS). The near miss occurred during daylight hours at approximately 15:55. The crew continued the approach without performing an avoidance manoeuvre and landed the aircraft safely.
Communications and Reporting
The RPAS was flying inside the Luxembourg Control Zone, a class D airspace from ground to 2500 ft controlled by Luxembourg tower. Such presence is generally prohibited without specific authorisation from the Directorate of Civil Aviation. The crew immediately reported the occurrence to the tower controller, who notified subsequent traffic and disseminated information to approach control and the police. After the flight, the crew filed a safety report describing the RPAS as clearly seen, dark red, 1 m diameter, circular shape, with an estimated separation distance of 20 m. The indicated airspeed was about 130 knots. The tower filed an air traffic services occurrence reporting form later that day. The police could not locate the drone or identify its operator.
Additional Information
On 17 April 2015, a meeting was held at Luxair Safety Department with representatives from the Administration des enquêtes techniques, the Directorate of Civil Aviation, the Administration de la navigation aérienne, and Luxair. The captain of the flight was present. Discussions included the presence of an unidentified RPAS in controlled airspace, the lack of national and EU regulation for RPAS operations, the crew's lack of preparedness for such a near miss, and the captain's intention to file a police complaint. The decision was made to open a safety investigation, and a communication campaign was planned to inform the public about the hazards of RPAS operations.
Meteorological Information
The aviation weather forecast issued by the Administration de la navigation aérienne on the day of the occurrence indicated good visibility: ceiling and visibility OK (CAVOK) with wind 20009 KT. The visibility at the time of the occurrence was good.