A Virgin Atlantic passenger jet came within feet of colliding with a drone flying at almost 14 times the legal height limit, according to a new report. The incident, rated as presenting a "serious" risk of collision, occurred after the aircraft departed London Heathrow for Johannesburg on June 8.
Near-miss over Surrey
Pilots spotted the drone at around 5,500ft near Woking, Surrey, but the British Airprox Board report said the crew saw it too late to take avoiding action. The device came within 16ft of crashing into the plane, which was carrying 264 passengers.
A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson told the Mirror: "Virgin Atlantic can confirm that pilots operating flight VS449 from London Heathrow to Johannesburg on 8 June 2026 reported seeing a drone shortly after taking off from Heathrow."
Legal limits and penalties
Drones are permitted to fly at a maximum height of 400ft in the UK, meaning the device was flying more than 13 times the legal limit. Flying a drone in controlled airspace without authorisation is illegal and can carry significant penalties, including criminal charges. The operator was not found but faces up to five years in prison if caught.
The spokesperson added: "The safety and security of our customers and crew is always our priority, and the pilots immediately reported the incident to Air Traffic Control in line with our procedures."
Previous incidents
The report comes amid growing concern about the use of drones near airports. Last year, a drone came within 10m-20m of colliding with a Boeing 737 airliner on its approach to Gatwick Airport. The UKAB report rated that incident as the highest possible Category A, meaning there was a high chance of collision. The passenger plane was over Bexhill on Sea, East Sussex, when the drone was spotted, and the B737 captain saw a black object in front of the aircraft with "no time to take avoiding action".
There have been repeated warnings from police about drone use in and around airports and public spaces. A new ray gun that uses high-frequency radio waves to blast drones out of the sky has been successfully trialled by the Army. Last April, footage emerged of a British Airways plane moments after it was hit by a suspected drone as it came into land at Heathrow. The BA727 flight, carrying 132 passengers and five crew from Geneva, was examined by engineers and cleared for its next flight following the incident.
