Illegal Drones Pose Serious Threat to British Airways Landing at Heathrow

A flight operated by British Airways (BA) from Rome narrowly avoided an accident as it approached Heathrow Airport in London on July 28 of this year.

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As the Airbus A321 was at an altitude of 800 feet above sea level on its final approach, the pilots spotted drones approximately 50 feet above them, according to a report by the associated outlet Aeroin.

Flying at 140 knots, the crew identified the two drones as a serious threat. Fortunately, the flight landed safely at the airport, but the incident raised concerns that led to an investigation by the UK Airprox Board (UKAB), which reviews such occurrences, Aeroin reported.

Illegal flight

The subsequent investigation classified the illegal drone flight as a category A issue, the most serious level. The UKAB concluded that the aircraft was under a significant threat, as the drones could have been ingested into the plane’s engines, endangering the lives of the passengers.

The drone operators have not been identified but could face a prison sentence of up to five years. British legislation prohibits drone flights within a five-kilometer radius of any airport runway ends, and the maximum permitted altitude for drone flights is restricted to just 120 meters.

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UKAB believes the drones, reported to be flying at an altitude of approximately 300 meters according to British Airways pilots, were operational to capture images of the aircraft landing from an unconventional angle. The investigation concluded with the following statement:

“The first officer initially noticed two objects immediately ahead and above the aircraft and pointed them out to the captain, who also clearly spotted them. They were easily identifiable as two identical drones flying in lateral formation in the approach zone, approximately 15 meters (at most) above the aircraft.”

“Both pilots were able to clearly identify the objects’ black propellers. Both assessed the risk of impact. In the Board’s opinion, the reported altitude and/or the description of the object were sufficient to indicate that it was likely a drone. The Board considered that the provision played a significant role in the incident and that there was a clear risk of collision.”

Concern

The incident underscores growing concerns about air safety related to the misuse of drones near airports, highlighting the need for stricter regulations and proactive measures to protect air operations and passenger safety.