An investigation has been launched after an object hit the front of the Airbus A320 as it approached Heathrow's Terminal 5 shortly after noon.
 |
| An investigation has been launched after an object hit the front of British Airways' G-EUYP, pictured, as it approached Heathrow's Terminal 5 at around 12.50pm |
British Airways confirmed to MailOnline that flight BA727 from Geneva in Switzerland was struck as it made its final approach into the London hub with 132 passengers and five crew on board.
British Airways said the aircraft was examined by engineers and cleared for its next flight following the incident.
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: 'A pilot on an inbound flight into Heathrow Airport from Geneva reported to police that he believed a drone had struck the aircraft.
'It transpired that an object, believed to be a drone, had struck the front of the aircraft.
The spokesperson added that no arrests had yet been made and the incident is currently being investigated by aviation police.
A British Airways spokesman said: 'Our aircraft landed safely, was fully examined by our engineers and it was cleared to operate its next flight.
'Safety and security are always our first priority and we will give the police every assistance with their investigation.'
The strike is the latest in a string of incidents involving drones and aircraft in UK airspace.
A report last month by the UK Airprox Board (UKAB) found there were 23 near misses between drones and aircraft in the six months between April and October last year.
They included one on September 22, when a Boeing 777 that had just taken off reported that a drone narrowly passed down the right hand side of the airliner.
Investigators concluded that the drone was at the same height and within 25 metres of the jet.
A report was made to police but the drone operator was not traced.
 |
| A Metropolitan Police spokesman said the pilot of the flight reported to police that he believed a drone, pictured, had struck the aircraft |
 |
| The route of the flight, which took off from Geneva at 10.50am and landed in London at 12.31pm, is shown |
 |
| An image shows the route taken by the flight over London this afternoon, during which it was struck by an object shortly before landing |
UK RULES SURROUNDING DRONES
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) sets the rules on the flying of drones in the UK under what is called an 'air navigation order'.
An unmanned aircraft must never be flown beyond the normal unaided 'line of sight' of the person operating it - this is generally measured as 1,640ft horizontally or 400ft vertically
An unmanned aircraft fitted with a camera must always be flown at least 164ft distance away from a person, vehicle, building or structure
An unmanned aircraft fitted with a camera must not be flown within 492ft of a congested area or large group of people, such as a sporting event or concert
For commercial purposes, operators must have permission to fly a drone from the CAA
Days later, on September, a drone was flown within a few metres of an Airbus A319 landing at Heathrow.
The pilot told the UKAB the drone may have been just 20 feet (six metres) above and 25 yards (23 metres) to the left when it passed by the aircraft.
The jet was flying at an altitude of 500 feet and was on the final approach to the west London airport when the drone was spotted.
There have been several instances of drones having near misses with commercial flights abroad.
An Air France Airbus A320 jet narrowly avoided colliding with a drone while descending for an approach to Paris Charles de Gaulle airport in February.
The aircraft had been operating a service from Barcelona on February 19 and was flying at 5,500ft when the co-pilot saw the drone.
He immediately disengaged the autopilot and carried out an evasive manoeuvre while informing the captain of the drone's presence, the French aviation investigation agency BEA said at the time.
Elsewhere, the pilot of a Lufthansa passenger jumbo jet nearly collided with a recreational drone in the US this month.
The plane was on its landing approach to Los Angeles International Airport when the incident happened, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
There are about 2.5 million drones in the US and not one has collided with a piloted aircraft – yet.
With nearly 600 close-calls reported from August 2015 to January 2016, the Federal Aviation Administration worries it is only a matter of time before there are disastrous incidents.
 |
| British Airways said the aircraft was examined by engineers and cleared for its next flight following the incident |
dailymail
0 Comments