Chinese authorities charged three photographers in Beijing for endangering public security after using an illegal drone in an attempt to take aerial photos of an airport in Hebei Province in December last year.

The photographers, one surnamed Hao, and two others surnamed Li and Qiao, used a drone illegally to take aerial shots of the Sanhe Business Jet Airport on December 28 for map painting purposes. However, the unmanned aircraft caused chaos when it disrupted passenger flights, China.org.cn reported.

Like Us on Facebook

While Chinese police caught Qiao and Li, the main culprit, Hao, surrendered to the authorities later on.

Yesterday, the Pinggu District Public Procuratorate said the drone caused some flights to be either diverted or delayed. It also prompted the air force to send choppers, it added.

The three photographers are all working for a firm called Beijing Guoyao Xingtu Aerial Technology. According to the procuratorate, the company was not authorized to use drones for photography. It also did not seek permission from air traffic authorities to use unmanned aircraft for taking aerial photos.

The day after they flew the oil-fueled drone, Hao and Qiao again used the 2.3-meter-long drone over Mafang Town in the Pinggu District. Like the previous incident, they did not have permission to use the drone for their purpose.

The People's Liberation Army Air Force detected the drone on their radar and hurriedly sent two military choppers to bring the "unidentified flying object" down. They also put soldiers and other army vehicles on standby.

The drone spotting prompted the air traffic authority of Beijing to ask passenger flights to either make detours or postpone their takeoffs for a while. Based on the procuratorate's statement, Air China incurred CNY18,000 (US$2941.99) in losses because of the incident.

A court in Beijing is slated to hear the photographers' case soon, the report said.

Under China's regulations, an individual or entity has to secure approval from the civil aviation authority to use an unmanned aircraft for any purpose. Companies using drones should also ask permission from the administration and submit a report about the details of its flight.

Tagsunmanned aerial vehicle, Signals intelligence, Military terminology, national security, Military