Gatwick-bound plane forced to make turn to avoid drone

An airliner carrying up to 186 passengers was forced to take evasive action after a drone was spotted, a near-miss report has revealed.

The incident involved an Airbus A320 aircraft approaching Gatwick Airport and a dark coloured drone, the UK Airprox Board (UKAB) said.

The pilot was flying at 1,700ft towards the West Sussex airport when he saw the device.

He carried out a banking turn to the right of up to eight degrees, resulting in the plane being level with the drone but having 80-100ft horizontal separation.

The UKAB said the drone was being flown above the maximum permitted height of 400ft and within controlled airspace.

It concluded the near-miss on April 28 was in the highest category of risk.

The airline involved was not identified in the report, although easyJet and British Airways are among the carriers that operate A320 aircraft to and from Gatwick.

Three other category A incidents involving drones were discussed by the UKAB at its latest monthly meeting.

The pilot of a Boeing 747 was approaching Heathrow Airport on June 6 when he saw a yellow and orange quadcopter pass down the left side of the plane.

An Airbus A319 was at an altitude of 6,500ft and flying towards Gatwick on May 25 when the captain saw a drone that was “metallic looking and reflecting light”.

It passed down the right-hand side of the aircraft and was “very close to the right wing”, the report said.

There were 125 near-misses involving drones reported in 2018, up 34% on the total of 93 during the previous year.