A drone had a direct hit with a commercial plane as it came in to land at Quebec’s Jean Lesage International Airport, Canada’s transport minister Marc Garneau said.
There were no injuries and the small Skyjet plane landed safely shortly after.
The UAV collision took place about 3km from the airport and at a height of about 450m, which is within the exclusion zones surrounding the nation’s airports.
Under Canadian law, drones are forbidden to fly within 5.5km of an airport or landing strip.
"Although the vast majority of drone operators fly responsibly, it was our concern for incidents like this that prompted me to take action and issue interim safety measures restricting where recreational drones could be flown," Garneau said.
"This is the first time a drone has hit a commercial aircraft in Canada and I am extremely relieved that the aircraft only sustained minor damage and was able to land safely."
The small plane was carrying six passengers and two crew and was struck on one of its wings.
"This should not have happened, that drone should not have been there," Garneau said, adding it could have been ‘catastrophic’ if it had hit the cockpit or an engine.
Although this is the first direct hit, Garneau said there have been 131 drone incidents so far this year ‘of aviation safety concern.’
