Belavia's Boeing, unknown drone in air proximity incident near Minsk

Belavia's Boeing 737-500 en route from Lviv to Minsk was on approach to the Minsk international airport on 14 August when the pilot sighted an unmanned aerial vehicle in dangerous proximity to the passenger jet, reports dev.by. 

An ad hoc commission was set up to investigate the incident where the drone is believed to have taken off without authorization. 

Hleb Bandaryk, deputy chairman of Belarusian Unmanned Aviation Federation, reckons the drone was operated by an experienced person. Someone who is able to fly a drone on the altitude of up to 1000 meters must possess a certain qualification and know all the air traffic rules. "The person who was flying the drone mostly likely understood he or she was violating the rules," Bandaryk said.

The owner faces a BYN490 ($245) fine for taking the drone off without clearence and BYN1225 if the violation is repeated within a year.