- Were you on the run? Email: edward.holt@mailonline.co.uk
A British Airways flight came within just six feet of an illegally flown drone at an altitude of 9,600 feet over the Kent countryside, a report has found.
The flight from Athens, Greece, to London’s Heathrow Airport was carrying up to 180 passengers and traveling at more than 250 miles per hour at the time of the incredible close call.
The incident is believed to be one of the biggest 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 to a storage facility about six miles south of Sevenoaks as it waited its turn to join the final flight route to Heathrow.
The drone was flown at 24 times the usual maximum legal height for the devices, which is just 400 feet.
The BA flight that came dangerously close to hitting a drone. The drone was flown at 24 times the usual maximum legal height for the devices, which is just 400 feet
The flight from Athens, Greece, to London’s Heathrow Airport was carrying up to 180 passengers and traveling at more than 250 miles per hour at the time of the incredible close call (stock image)
A remote-controlled drone in flight. The incident is believed to be one of the biggest ever near misses between a BA jet and a drone (stock image)
It is believed the drone operator was never found, but if caught he could have been jailed for up to five years for endangering an aircraft.
A report from Britain’s Airprox Board, which assesses near misses, says pilots estimated the drone to be about 5 feet above their wing and just 3 feet from their cockpit.
Pilots have repeatedly warned in recent years about the risk of drones potentially causing catastrophic damage by being sucked into a jet engine or breaking a windshield.
The height of the devices is normally limited to 400 feet by software, but the limit can be exceeded by a patch purchased on the Internet.
Additional batteries can also be installed so that drones can fly to great heights.
It is thought the unscrupulous drone operator in the incident may have attempted to capture dramatic video footage of an aircraft in the sky.
The report assessed it as a Category A incident where there was a serious risk of collision.
It said the plane was approaching its stack when the pilot “became aware of an object slightly to the right of the nose at the same level, on a constant bearing with the closing distance.”
Heathrow Airport where the BA plane flew from Athens. A British Airways spokesperson said: ‘We take matters like this very 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 flew along the right side of the aircraft and over the right wing.
‘Details were immediately passed to London ATC (air traffic control) who informed the pilot of the aircraft behind them.’
The BA pilot assessed the risk of collision as high, saying the object had ‘blasted our right 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 the radar at the estimated time of the event.
The conclusion is: ‘In the opinion of the Board, the reported height and/or description of the object were sufficient to indicate that it was possibly a drone.
‘The Board was of the opinion that the pilot’s overall account of the incident reflected a situation where providence had played a significant role in the incident and/or there had been a clear risk of collision.’
A British Airways spokesperson said: ‘We take such matters very seriously and our pilots report incidents so that the authorities can investigate and take appropriate action.’