British Airways A321 Airbus escapes colliding with an illegal drone

British Airways A321 Airbus only 5 feet from colliding with an illegally flown drone at a height of 9,600 feet over the Kent countryside.

At the moment of the amazing near miss, the aeroplane from Athens, Greece, to London’s Heathrow airport was carrying up to 180 passengers plus Tourists and travelling at over 250 mph.

This is believed to be one of the closest drone and British Airways near misses in history.

The incident occurred on January 3, 2018, shortly before 430 p.m.

A321 Airbus en route to a holding stack approximately six miles south of Sevenoaks, awaiting its turn to enter the final flight path into Heathrow.

The drone was being flown at a height of twenty-four times the 400 feet that is the standard legal maximum for such devices.

Fate of Drone’s Operator

Drone’s operator not located, otherwise would face up to five years in prison if proven guilty of endangering an aircraft.

The pilots believes the drone to be about five feet above their wing and about thirty feet from their cockpit.

This is according to a report by the UK Airprox Board, which evaluates near encounters.

In recent years, pilots have issued numerous warnings about the possibility of drones breaking a windscreen.

Or else becoming sucked into a jet engine, both of which might result in potentially catastrophic damage.

Software typically limits the devices’ height to 400 feet, although a patch that may be purchased online can overcome this restriction.

Drones can also be made to fly to very high altitudes by installing additional batteries.

It is believed that the dishonest drone operator involved in the event may have been attempting to get dramatic film of an aeroplane in midair.

It’s classification is Category A incident because there was a significant risk of a collision.

The pilot “became aware of an object slightly to the right of the nose at same level on a constant bearing with closing distance.”

States the report as the aircraft approached its holding stack.

Pilot’s remarks

The BA jet travelling from Athens to Heathrow Airport.

“We take such matters extremely seriously.

Our pilots report incidents so that the authorities can investigate and take appropriate action,” a British Airways representative stays.

“It was small, but had the distinctive shape of a drone,” the report continues.

The object went over the aircraft’s right wing and down its right side.

“Air traffic control in London received the details right away and notified the pilot of the aircraft behind them.”

The study also says that at the approximate time of the incident, no primary or secondary contacts connected to the drone report were visible on radar, according to Safety Investigations’ analysis of the radar.

“The Board felt that the object’s description and/or reported altitude were sufficient to indicate that it could have been a drone,” the report’s conclusion stated.

The Board concludes that the pilot’s overall account of the occurrence suggested that there had been a clear risk of a crash and/or that providence had played a significant role in the incident.

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