Drone unlikely to have hit BA plane near Heathrow, government says

A passenger plane thought to have been struck as it approached Heathrow airport was probably not hit by a drone after all, the government says.

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin told MPs the incident was no longer thought to have involved a drone.

A police investigation was launched after the pilot of a BA flight from Geneva on 17 April reported an object had struck the front of the aircraft.

It was thought to be the first drone collision with an aircraft in the UK.

The Airbus A320 was carrying 132 passengers and five crew as it approached the airport. It landed safely.

At the time the Metropolitan Police said the plane was hit by a drone at about 1,700ft (580m) while flying over the area of Richmond Park, in south west London.

Are drones dangerous or harmless fun?

London music video drone footage draws criticism

The rules for flying domestic drones

Drone incidents at UK airports

Image copyrightBAA

• 17 April 2016 - A British Airways plane approaching Heathrow is believed to have hit a drone while in midair
• 28 November 2015 - The pilot of an A321 plane narrowly missed a drone hovering at 100ft above a runway at Gatwick Airport
• 30 September 2015 - A small drone helicopter passed within 30ft of the cockpit of an A319 plane while on the approach to Heathrow
• 22 September 2015 - A "quadcopter-type drone" missed the right-hand side of a B777 plane by about 25m while at 2,000ft after it left Heathrow Airport
• 13 September 2015 - A silver drone with a "balloon-like" centre missed an E170 aircraft by about 20m, while the plane was approaching London City Airport over the Thames
• 13 September 2015 - A drone flew over the top of a B737 aircraft while at 4,000ft, missing it by about 5m, shortly after it left Stansted
• 27 August 2015 - A DO328 aircraft flew within 50ft of a drone while approaching Manchester Airport at 2,800ft

Source: The UK Airprox Board

The head of the International Air Transport Association, Tony Tyler, earlier this year warned that drones flown by the general public were "a real and growing threat" to civilian aircraft.

The UK Air Proximity Board - which investigates near-miss incidents in UK airspace - says there had been a number of serious near-misses at UK airports involving drones.