Russia has recorded its first collision between a civilian aircraft and a drone, according to RBC.
The incident occurred on August 2 in Kamchatka, when an An-26 operated by Kamchatka Air Enterprise was flying a scheduled route from Petropavlovsk to Tilichiki.
After landing, airport technicians discovered a dent 11 centimeters (about four inches) deep on the aircraft. The crew had initially assumed it had struck a bird in flight.
A subsequent investigation by Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency ruled out that possibility and concluded that the damage had been caused by a collision with “an unidentified object, most likely an unmanned aerial vehicle.” It remains unclear what kind of drone it was or who launched it.
There were 28 people on board at the time, according to the aviation-focused Telegram channel Aviatorshchina. No one was injured, and the aircraft has since returned to regular service.
Since the start of the full-scale war, many Russian regions have imposed restrictions on private drone flights. In Kamchatka, drones are banned over populated areas and energy facilities.
Meanwhile, amid an increase in Ukrainian drone attacks in western Russia, civilian airports there have frequently suspended operations in recent months. Each time, the Federal Air Transport Agency has cited “flight safety” as the reason.
