A BA flight carrying 180 passengers nearly collided with a drone above the skies of Britain, a new report has disclosed. The Airbus A321 was inbound from Athens, Greece, en route to London and came within feet of the drone as it flew over Kent.
A report from the UK Airprox Board quoted pilots describing the drone as just five feet over their wing and only 30 from their cockpit as it flew at speeds of 250mph.
The aircraft was flying at a height of 9,600 feet during the near-miss, thought to be one of the closest ever for a BA jet.
The incident was rated as a “category A”, meaning there was a “serious risk” of a collision.
The Daily Mail reports the near-miss was recorded before 4.30pm on January 3, when the BA plane was heading into a holding stack over Kent.
The jet was approximately six miles south of Sevenoaks, on the outskirts of London, approaching Heathrow airport, with the drone flying 24 times the UK maximum legal height.
The report revealed that pilots were able to identify the aircraft as it shot over the plane’s wing.
It stated: “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.”
A spokesperson for BA said the incident would be investigated by British authorities.
They said: “We take such matters extremely seriously, and our pilots report incidents so that the authorities can investigate and take appropriate action.”
Flying a drone near a plane is illegal, with the aircraft only permitted at a maximum of 120 metres (400 feet).
Police are responsible for enforcing drone rules, and breaking them could land people with hefty fines, confiscation of their drones, or even imprisonment.
But police are yet to identify the person behind the latest incident, the Mail reports.
