Seconds from disaster
DRONE & PLANE 10FT FROM COLLISION OVER UK
A PACKED passenger plane came 10ft from crashing into a drone – the closest near miss in the UK.
The Virgin Atlantic flight was at 3,200ft over London on its approach to Heathrow Airport.
Shocked cockpit crew say the drone passed beneath the right wing of the Boeing 787, narrowly missing an engine.
Details of the terrifying incident have been revealed by the UK Air Proximity Board which investigates near misses.
Their damning report said there was a “definite risk” of collision over the streets of Clapham, south London.
With up to 290 passengers, the jet was nearing the end of an eight-anda-half hour flight from the Indian capital of New Delhi just before 5pm on June 25 when pilots spotted the drone.
It was flying at eight times the legal limit – well beyond the height its operator would be able to control it.
Air traffic controllers were immediately informed, but police found no trace of the drone’s navigator. Nearmisses between aircraft and aerial vehicles have soared in recent years.
Experts say an impact could disable a jet engine or smash a cockpit windscreen – posing more risk than a bird strike.
Drone operators are normally only permitted to fly below 400ft and are expected to stay well clear of airports and aircraft flight paths.
The Star Says: Page 6