British Airways flight misses drone by 5ft while flying at 250mph: Horror crash ... trends now
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A British Airways flight came just 5ft away from smashing into an illegally-flown drone at a height of 9,600ft over the Kent countryside, a report has revealed.
The flight from Athens, Greece, to London’s Heathrow airport was carrying up to 180 passengers and flying at more than 250mph at the time of the incredible close call.
The incident is thought to be one of the closest 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 into a holding stack around six miles south of Sevenoaks while waiting its turn to join the final flight path into Heathrow.
The drone was being flown at 24 times the usual maximum legal height for the devices which is just 400ft.
The BA flight that came dangerously close to hitting a drone. The drone was being flown at 24 times the usual maximum legal height for the devices which is just 400ft
The flight from Athens, Greece, to London’s Heathrow airport was carrying up to 180 passengers and flying at more than 250mph at the time of the incredible close call (stock image)
A remote-controlled drone in flight. The incident is thought to be one of the closest ever near misses between a BA jet and a drone (stock image)
It is believed that the operator of the drone was never found, but if caught they could have been jailed for up to five years for endangering an aircraft.
A report by the UK Airprox Board which assesses near misses said the pilots estimated the drone as being around 5ft over their wing and just 30ft from their cockpit.
Pilots have
