The local police of the Rivierenland zone have identified the owner of a drone that recently crashed on the playground of the Technische Scholen Mechelen secondary school in Onder-Den-Toren, in Mechelen.
The incident occurred in the early hours of 19 November when the drone collided with a building, fell onto a tree, and eventually landed on the school’s playground. The damaged device was handed over to the police, who launched an investigation.
A 47-year-old man from Mechelen was identified as the pilot. Authorities confirmed that the man was neither certified as a drone pilot nor registered as a drone operator. The drone itself was also unregistered.
According to the police, the most serious violation was the failure to seek prior approval for the flight from Skeyes, which is mandatory in controlled airspace near Zaventem Airport, located close to the region.
The man had previously conducted several unauthorised drone flights in the area in the past. The police filed an official report and confiscated the drone. He now faces potential fines amounting to thousands of euros from the Directorate-General for Aviation.
