British Columbia

Drone narrowly misses midair collision with seaplane in Vancouver

A drone and a seaplane nearly collided in midair near Vancouver International Airport on Monday, according to an incident report filed to Transport Canada.

According to the report, a Seair plane was coming into land when a drone flew within 10 feet of the windshield

Another report of a drone flying dangerously close to an aircraft in Metro Vancouver has been filed with Transport Canada. (Rick Bowmer/Associated Press)

A drone and a seaplane nearly collided in midair near Vancouver International Airport on Monday, according to an incident report sent to Transport Canada.

According to the report, a four-propeller black drone missed the windshield of a Seair seaplane by just 10 feet as it was coming into land on water south of Vancouver International Airport Aug. 3.

The pilot of the seaplane reports that the drone turned north, towards the airport, following the near miss, before going out of sight.

The report comes just weeks after an investigation was launched by Richmond RCMP into a drone reportedly flying dangerously close to landing planes at YVR airport.

'Incredibly dangerous and stupid'

Announcing that investigation July 1, RCMP Sgt. Cam Kowalski said police want to publicize the dangers of remote-controlled aircraft, also known as UAVs, or unmanned aerial vehicles.

"It puts people in danger and puts them at risk, puts the community at risk," said Kowalski. "We take these incidents very seriously."

"It's incredibly dangerous and incredibly stupid, so we will investigate this every way that we possibly can."

The City of Richmond banned the use of all remote-controlled aircraft, including drones and power kites, in city parks and school grounds in April this year.