British Airways flight missed hitting drone by just 6 metres

A British Airways flight carrying more than 200 people above Windsor, UK missed an illegal drone by just 20 feet (6 metres), a report has revealed. The Boeing Dreamliner was heading to Montreal, Canada, from Heathrow carrying 216 passengers at nearly 3000 feet in July, when the near-miss happened. The details were revealed in a report by the UK Airprox Board (UKAB) which rated the incident a category-A, meaning there was a serious risk of collision. UKAB, which assesses risk incidents in UK airspace, reported that the plane was 20 feet above the drone and 60 feet away horizontally, leading the pilot to describe the risk of a collision as high. The drone was being flown at 2800 feet, more than seven times the usual maximum legal height for the devices of 400 feet. The report, which was first reported in the Daily Mail, said: “It was apparent that whilst it was very close, the drone would pass below and to their left. The drone was white, with multiple props but no lights.” The information was passed to the Heathrow control tower ‘in order that subsequent departures could be made aware of the sighting’. UKAB concluded: “In the board’s opinion the reported altitude and/or description of the object were sufficient to indicate that it could have been a drone. The board considered that the pilot’s overall account of the incident portrayed a situation where providence had played a major part in the incident and/or a definite risk of collision had existed.” It is understood that the pilot of the drone was never caught. If found, they could face up to five years in jail.<br/>