According to footage from surveillance cameras, “Die Zeit” reports that Leipzig/Halle Airport narrowly averted an explosion during last week’s drone incident-potentially much more closely than previously believed. The recordings show the explosive-laden drone approaching a Ukrainian cargo plane, which is identifiable as an Antonov.
Around 7:30 PM on Tuesday, an object flew directly toward the parked Antonov. It made contact with one of the wings, which typically houses fuel tanks. The footage suggests that the object rebounded off the wing and subsequently fell to the ground. Tracks visible on the Antonov wing confirm this presumed sequence of events.
Researchers are currently unclear on why the explosive device did not detonate. Furthermore, the device was not found attached to the drone itself, but rather some distance away, leading to the possibility that it detached during the aircraft impact.
