Drone whizzed 3f t from passenger jet

Fears of mid-air catastrophe grow after near miss

A drone came within three feet of colliding with a packed easyJet airliner in one of the closest nearmisses of its kind in Britain.

The terrifying close call occurred on September 4 as the Airbus A320 was 8,000ft over Greater Manchester – 20 times the legal height for drone flights.

It is the joint- closest near-miss so far. The last incident occurred in december 2018 when a 90-seat embraer 175 jet came within three feet of a suspected drone over Glasgow airport. An official report into the l atest i ncident said the first officer watched in horror as the blue drone, which was about 20inches across and estimated to weigh about 22lbs (10kg), passed the cockpit windscreen.

The rogue drone operator was never caught but the near-miss was rated a ‘Category A’ event by the UK Airprox Board – which monitors and investigates such events – meaning there was a serious risk of collision.

The jet was heading from Manchester to Athens and was carrying up to 186 passengers.

The incident will reignite serious concerns among pilots over the rise in reports of drones getting close to passenger jets. earlier this year, the daily Mail revealed pilots are reporting t wo near- misses a week – with more than 400 incidents in the past five years.

The problem has been described as a ‘real concern’ because the gadgets – which are too small to appear on air traffic radar screens – can easily destroy an engine or smash a cockpit windscreen, potentially causing huge loss of life.

With an estimated 100,000 users in the UK, industry sources say it is only a matter of time before a device is involved in a catastrophic collision. In most cases, passenger planes are too large and fast to take evasive action – leaving them at the mercy of amateur drone pilots on the ground. The latest near-miss occurred despite police introducing mobile counter-drone units capable of bringing down devices caught hovering around airports. Anyone who owns a drone weighing more than 250g must obtain an operator Id. They are also required to get a separate flyer Id by passing a theory test or face a fine of up to £1,000.

Among the key rules for drone flyers are staying below 400ft, keeping clear of aircraft and airfields, and not flying close to people or property.

However, there are concerns rules are being flouted and some drone pilots have managed to over- ride software restricting where they can fly. Those caught flouting CAA rules face fines of up to £1,000 or even jail. ex-BA pilot

Terry Tozer warned: ‘If a drone hit the windshield it could kill or incapacitate at least one of the flight crew. These types of incidents are going to be an increasing problem.’

An easyJet spokesman said: ‘We fully supported the investigation by providing all requested information. The safety and wellbeing of passengers and crew is always easyJet’s highest priority.’

The company said it supports efforts ‘to take this issue seriously and ensure that the correct measures and regulations are put in place.’