A DRONE came so close to colliding with a passenger jet that it covered the pilot’s view from the windscreen.
The Airbus A320 was at 9,000ft when the near-miss occurred.
GettyA drone nearly collided with a passenger jet as the aircraft took off from Heathrow[/caption]
The Airbus A320 was at 9,000ft when the near-miss occurredAFP
A report into the close call in May told how the plane had just taken off from London’s Heathrow Airport.
In-flight incident investigation body UK Airprox Board said it looked to be about three metres long.
The board’s report added: “Both the Captain and the First Officer saw a bright white object pass overhead from the opposite direction. It appeared to be approximately 2-3 metres in size at the very least.
“It may have been larger as it filled a good proportion of the windshield.”
The report did not disclose the airline operating the plane or destination.
It said the craft — presumably being controlled from a location on the ground close to the airport — was also spotted on radar by air traffic controllers.
A drone was seen near London’s City Airport around the same time.
The report added: “The First Officer observed that the object was triangular in shape.
“The Captain only saw the object for a second or two in peripheral vision so could not reliably comment on the shape. No markings were identified.”
The pilot said: “It went over us, probably within about ten metres”.
The reports concluded “a definite risk of collision had existed”.
The operator of the drone was not found. The legal drone height limit is 400ft.
Flying one without permission near a UK airport can lead to unlimited fines or up to five years in prison.
The drone came so close to colliding with the jet that it covered the pilot’s view from the windscreen Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
