'Drone' hits BA plane: Police investigate Heathrow incident

A police investigation is under way after a passenger plane approaching Heathrow Airport was hit by what is believed to have been a drone.

The British Airways flight from Geneva, with 132 passengers and five crew on board, was hit as it approached the London airport at 12:50 BST on Sunday.

If confirmed, it's thought it would be the first such incident in the UK.

BA said it would give the police "every assistance with their investigation". No arrests have been made, police say.

The Metropolitan Police's aviation security unit based at Heathrow will lead the investigation.

After safely landing the plane, the pilot reported an object - believed to have been a drone - had struck the front of the Airbus A320.

A BA spokesman said: "Our aircraft landed safely, was fully examined by our engineers and it was cleared to operate its next flight."

A Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) spokesman said it was "totally unacceptable" to fly drones - which are generally used to capture aerial film or photographs - close to airports.

Steve Landells, from the British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa), said it had been "only a matter of time before we had a drone strike". He called for greater enforcement of existing rules.
The incident follows a warning earlier this year by the head of the International Air Transport Association Tony Tyler that drones flown by the general public are "a real and growing threat" to civilian aircraft.

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

David Black, from Blackwing Aerial Services - a company that specialises in licensed commercial drones - said education and enforcement of the current rules were important, particularly for hobbyists.

"I think a register is a good idea," he said. "With firearms it has shown it's a good thing... but it has not stopped bad guys from getting guns. If you're going to use them as weapons, bad guys can build them themselves.

"You need enforcement but the problem with enforcement is that it costs money and people to carry it out.... There needs to be better technology for detection and avoidance."

Geo-fencing is available in some drones. A database within the drone will not let it take off if its near an airport so that operators cannot accidentally fly into trouble.

Mr Landells from Balpa added: "The law as it stands says you're not supposed to go above 400ft (122m) or 500m away from the base unit depending on the drone you're using, but we've been seeing incidents up at 8,000 feet where drones just have no place to be so we've got to do something.

"That's a registration process some sort of tracking, some sort of electronic security, we've got to do something about this."