Four people
have been detained by police in Beijing for navigating an unmanned aerial
vehicle (UAV) into the airspace of Beijing Capital International Airport, which
caused delays for more than 10 passenger flights, reports the local Beijing
News.
The drone
was detected on Dec. 29 by the Civil Aviation Administration over the
international airport at 11:00 am. The UAV was seen flying at 700 feet at a
speed of more than 100 kilometers an hour.
Two
civilian airplanes were forced to alter their flight courses to maneuver away
from one another and the drone, while the local authority dispatched a
helicopter to intercept the UAV.
Four people
involved in the case have since been detained and charged with
"endangering public security" and "seriously interrupting flight
order."
Local
police said the drone was modified from a model airplane to conduct surveying
and mapping operations to the east of the airport. The investigation found that
the four suspects were employees working for a local company, and they had
failed to apply for approval to conduct such an operation, according to the
Civilian Use of Drones Regulations.
"All
unmanned aircraft are banned from entering the 15 kilometer range of airports
and from flying higher than 100 meters on flight courses elsewhere," said
Feng Chang, co-founder of the Beijing FlyCam, during an interview with the Hong
Kong-based South China Morning Post on Dec. 31.
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