16 Oct 2015

Apparent drone near-miss with jet to remain mystery

5:44 pm on 16 October 2015

The investigation into an apparent near-miss between a drone and a passenger jet has been called off, meaning the incident will remain a mystery.

Last month, the pilot of a plane carrying 166 passengers from Christchurch to Auckland reported seeing a sizeable red drone over Kaiapoi about 6000 feet.

The Civil Aviation Authority's subsequent investigation failed to find the drone's owner, or prove that what the pilot reported seeing was in fact a drone.

Despite the lack of success, the authority says the incident has raised awareness about safe drone use, and the need to maintain safes skies in New Zealand.