Video: Near Collision Between Drone and Airbus A300

Bethany Whitfield

Thursday, June 06, 2013 at 08:51 PM ET

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Key Takeaways:

A nine-year-old video showing an EMT Luna X-2000 drone narrowly avoiding a collision with an Ariana Afghan Airlines Airbus A300 in Afghanistan has recently gained renewed attention online.
The drone passed just meters beneath the airliner, which was carrying approximately 100 people, and subsequently crashed due to wake turbulence from the A300.
The rediscovery of this footage by Der Spiegel has reignited debate in Germany over drone safety, particularly concerning the lack of anti-collision technology in successor drones like the Euro Hawk.

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A close call between a drone and an airliner nine years ago is getting renewed attention thanks to an online video showing the near collision.

The footage, taken by the EMT Luna X-2000 drone, shows the unmanned aerial vehicle passing just meters beneath the wing of an Ariana Afghan Airlines Airbus A300 in Afghanistan. The aircraft was carrying approximately 100 people during the close encounter with the 88-pound reconnaissance drone. The UAV crashed after becoming destabilized in the wake turbulence of the A300.