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A British Airways flight came just 5ft away from smashing into an illegally-flown drone at a height of 9,600ft over the Kent countryside, a report has revealed.
The flight from Athens, Greece, to London’s Heathrow airport was carrying up to 180 passengers and flying at more than 250mph at the time of the incredible close call.
The incident is thought to be one of the closest ever near misses between a BA jet and a drone.
It happened just before 4.30pm on January 3 this year as the Airbus A321 was heading into a holding stack around six miles south of Sevenoaks while waiting its turn to join the final flight path into Heathrow.
The drone was being flown at 24 times the usual maximum legal height for the devices which is just 400ft.
The BA flight that came dangerously close to hitting a drone. The drone was being flown at 24 times the usual maximum legal height for the devices which is just 400ft
The flight from Athens, Greece, to London’s Heathrow airport was carrying up to 180 passengers and flying at more than 250mph at the time of the incredible close call (stock image)
A remote-controlled drone in flight. The incident is thought to be one of the closest ever near misses between a BA jet and a drone (stock image)
It is believed that the operator of the drone was never found, but if caught they could have been jailed for up to five years for endangering an aircraft.
A report by the UK Airprox Board which assesses near misses said the pilots estimated the drone as being around 5ft over their wing and just 30ft from their cockpit.
Pilots have repeatedly warned in recent years of the risk of drones causing potentially catastrophic damage by being sucked into a jet engine or breaking a windscreen.
The height of the devices is normally restricted by software to 400ft, but the limit can be over-ridden by a patch bought on the internet.
Extra batteries can also be installed to allow drones to soar to great heights.
It is thought that the unscrupulous drone operator in the incident might have been trying to get dramatic video footage of an airliner in mid-air.
The report rated it as a Category A incident where there was a serious risk of collision.
It said that the aircraft was approaching its holding stack when the pilot ‘became aware of an object slightly to the right of the nose at same level on a constant bearing with closing distance’.
Heathrow Airport where the BA plane was flying to from Athens. A British Airways spokesperson said: ‘We take such matters extremely seriously and our pilots report incidents so that the authorities can investigate and take appropriate action’ (stock image)
The report added: ‘It was small, but had the distinctive shape of a drone. The object passed down the right-hand side of the aircraft and over their right wing.
‘Details were passed immediately to London ATC (air traffic control) who informed the pilot of the aircraft behind them.’
The BA pilot rated the risk of collision as high, saying the object had ‘shot down our right hand side’ and describing it as ‘extremely close’.
The report added: ‘Analysis of the radar by Safety Investigations indicated that there were no primary or secondary contacts associated with the drone report visible on radar at the approximate time of the event.
It concluded: ‘In the Board’s opinion the reported altitude and/or description of the object were sufficient to indicate that it could have been a drone.
‘The Board considered that the pilot’s overall account of the incident portrayed a situation where providence had played a major part in the incident and/or a definite risk of collision had existed.’
A British Airways spokesperson said: ‘We take such matters extremely seriously and our pilots report incidents so that the authorities can investigate and take appropriate action.’
Robert Johnson is a UK-based business writer specializing in finance and entrepreneurship. With an eye for market trends and a keen interest in the corporate world, he offers readers valuable insights into business developments.
