The Eastern Iowa Airport’s Public Safety Department and federal aviation officials are investigating reports of two drones operating in the flight path of aircraft descending to the airport’s Runway 13 Wednesday morning, June 3.
According to a news release from Eastern Iowa Airport officials, commercial aircraft pilots reported to the airport’s Air Traffic Control Tower that they had seen an Unmanned Aircraft System, or UAS – also known as drones – in the airport’s airspace around around 10:45 a.m. Wednesday.
The drones were descending to land at the Cedar Rapids airport, officials said.
Based on the pilot reports, Airport Public Safety officers went to the QTS data center construction area near the intersection of Cherry Valley Road and Wright Brothers Boulevard, near the airport. At that site, officers found two drone pilots working on behalf of QTS.
Each drone operator was working for a separate QTS contractor.
No commercial airplanes were damaged in the incidents, and an investigation is under way.
