A passenger plane approaching Heathrow Airport had a near-miss with a large drone at 10,000ft, according to the UK Airprox Board (UKAB). The Airbus A320 pilots spotted a gadget with multiple arms and up to eight rotors passing by the right-hand side of the aircraft as it prepared to land.
Both pilots exclaimed: 'Was that a drone? At 10,000 feet!', UKAB reported. The drone was estimated to be about 98ft (30m) away from the plane, and safety was not assured. Large drones are not permitted to fly above 400ft (121m) or within proximity of airports.
The incident occurred on 11 November 2016, so quickly that the pilots said they had 'no time to react'. The risk was classified as 'b', the second most serious out of five categories, indicating the safety of the aircraft may have been compromised.
Police were alerted but did not find the operator. This was one of four near misses between aircraft and drones in the latest UKAB monthly report, bringing the total in the past 12 months to 59. Ministers are considering mandatory registration for new drones to improve safety.
