Drone in near-miss with plane above Houses of Parliament

Collision threat: The remote-controlled craft was spotted on the left-hand side of the passenger plane
Andrew Matthews/PA Wire
Sebastian Mann1 February 2016

A drone came within 20 metres of collision with a passenger jet as it flew above the Houses of Parliament, according to an official report.

The small remote-controlled craft was spotted by the pilot of the Embraer 170 plant, carrying up to 76 passengers, as it descended for its landing at City Airport in September.

He reported a “high” risk of collision, the UK Airprox Board said in a report.

The airspace safety body also defined the chance of a crash as a category A risk.

Describing the near-miss, the UKAB said the aircraft was flying at 2,000ft above the Thames when the “balloon-like object” was spotted.

“This passed down the left-hand side of the aircraft,” it said.

“It was initially reported to ATC [Air Traffic Control] as a balloon, but as it passed it became apparent that it was a silver drone with a ‘balloon-like’ centre and 4 small rotors on each corner.”

The drone operator, who was not traced, was rebuked by the UKAB for causing a “flight safety risk” by flying the craft without permission above central London.

The body has previously called for jail sentences for owners manoeuvre their drones too close to planes, warning: “This type of incident is becoming more prevalent and the next incident might be a near-miss but a collision.”

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