An incident in which a device believed to have been a drone came within 20ft of an about-to-land passenger plane at Heathrow Airport has been described in an official near-miss report.
The Airbus A320 was 700ft from landing when the pilot reported seeing a small black object to the left of the aircraft, the report by the UK Airprox (aircraft proximity) Board (UKAB) said.
The object "passed about 20ft over the wing" and appeared to be a small radio-controlled helicopter, the report said.
The plane was coming into land at Heathrow.
The plane was coming into land at Heathrow. Credit: PA
The object did not strike the plane and the pilot was able to make a normal landing in the incident, which occurred at 2.16pm on July 22 this year.
But it added that it had been a distraction during a critical phase of the flight. Air traffic controllers were told of the incident and following aircraft were notified.
Despite extensive tracing action and the proactive assistance of local model flying club members, it was not possible to trace the operator of the model aircraft in question.
– UKAB
The report did not say which carrier was operating the Airbus nor where the Airbus had flown in from.
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http://www.itv.com/news/2014-12-12/drone-in-near-miss-with-passenger-plane-at-heathrow-airport/
