Cape Town - The Hawks say the owner of a drone that crashed at Koeberg Nuclear Power Station is willing to co-operate with their investigation.
The incident, which led to the suspension of Koeberg's safety officer after the remotely piloted aircraft system (RPAS) was returned to its owner, has resulted in nuclear and aviation authorities questioning Eskom’s security.
As the South African Civil Aviation Authority (Sacaa) began its own investigation, local drone operator Willie Prinsloo urged pilots to be more responsible.
Prinsloo said it was common for pilots to lose track of drones when they experienced technical glitches or their batteries ran low.
“Fly-aways do happen, and from the information I have received this seems to have been the case. Now the poor pilot finds himself in trouble for something out of his control,” said Prinsloo.
He said he doubted the aircraft caused any damage, considering its size, adding that the area around Koeberg was well marked.
Asked whether the owner was registered, Sacaa spokesperson Kabelo Ledwaba said: “We are unable to share further information as the investigation is ongoing.”
Last month, police were sent to the Vodacom Durban July horse racing event and stopped all drone operations there. In the southern Cape, the Knysna chapter of the International Drone Day event was cancelled at the 11th hour following a letter from Sacaa last year.
A drone operator was arrested for flying his drone too close to the Pretoria hospital where Nelson Mandela was hospitalised in 2013. The case was dropped, but the equipment was never returned to the owner.
In 2012, an “octocopter” drone was confiscated by Cape Town Stadium security personnel and held for 30 days by police after it was operated near a Lady Gaga concert during a media lockout.
Under Civil Aviation regulations and limitations, aircraft are prohibited from flying adjacent to or above a nuclear power plant, a prison, a police station, a crime scene, a court of law, a national key point or a strategic installation.
Sacaa said it had received an overwhelmingly positive response from pilots keen on operating RPAS legally.
*To date, Sacaa has registered 273 RPAS.”
Cape Times