A passenger jet approaching London Heathrow was involved in a terrifying near-miss with a colossal drone, described by the pilot as being an astonishing ten feet wide.
The alarming incident occurred as the aircraft was on its final descent, putting the safety of everyone on board at immediate risk. The pilot reported that the enormous unmanned craft passed so close to his cockpit that he feared a catastrophic collision.
'It Was a Drone, Not a Bird'
In a calm but urgent transmission to air traffic control, the pilot could be heard stating, "Just passed a drone, probably about ten foot away from us... It was a drone, it wasn't a bird." The clarity of this identification underscores the severity of the encounter; this was no simple bird strike but a direct breach of secure airspace by a large, man-made object.
A Major Security Breach
The event has triggered a significant response from the Metropolitan Police, who are now combing the area west of the airport for the operator. Flying a drone within the Heathrow flight restriction zone is a serious criminal offence. The incident has chilling echoes of the 2018 Gatwick Airport drone chaos, which grounded hundreds of flights and disrupted travel for over 140,000 passengers.
Aviation Experts Sound the Alarm
Aviation safety bodies have long warned of the potentially catastrophic consequences of a drone colliding with a commercial airliner. The impact could shatter a windshield, damage critical engines, or lead to a loss of control. This latest event at one of the world's busiest airports is a stark reminder that the threat is very real and present.
The UK Airprox Board, which investigates such near-misses, has classified the event and will be conducting a full investigation to understand how such a large drone could have penetrated protected airspace and come so perilously close to a passenger aircraft.
