British Airways plane hit by ‘drone’ above Richmond Park, reveal police

A British Airways plane was hit by a drone as it was landing at London's Heathrow Airport, police have confirmed

Airplane - stock image

by Kayleigh Dray |
Published on

According to reports, the drone struck the BA727 flight at around 12.30pm on Sunday.

The suspected drone was flying at 1,700ft in the proximity of Richmond Park when it struck the front of the plane as it was coming in to land at Heathrow’s Terminal Five.

It thankfully left no damage, and the plane - which was carrying 132 passengers and five crew from Geneva - was able to land safely at Heathrow at 12.38pm.

However it was a very close call.

As a result, officers have now confirmed that they are treating the incident as an endangerment of an aircraft under Article 137 Air Navigation Order 2009.

Met Police have searched a wide area for suspects and debris, but, so far, nothing has been found and no arrests have been made.

They are now appealing for information from anyone who may have been in Richmond Park at about midday yesterday.

They said: “Aviation Policing would ask for anyone who was in the area of Richmond Park or any surrounding open spaces on that day between 12:00hrs and 1300hrs who may have information to contact police or Crimestoppers.

“We would also ask anyone to contact police if they find identifiable parts of drone in the Richmond area.

“Anyone who can assist the investigation is asked to contact Aviation Policing on 020 3276 1460; or alternatively Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”

This incident is thought to be the first time that a remote-control drone has crashed into a commercial jet during landing - and it has sparked fears as to whether or not a drone could cause an airplane to crash.

Dai Whittingham, chief executive of the UK Flight Safety Committee, told MailOnline Travel that drones are becoming increasingly dangerous to aircraft.

He explained: “The faster the aircraft and the heavier and faster the drone, the greater the damage.

“It is also important to remember that drones are not like birds, which are flesh and blood and deform on impact.

“Drones contain a motor and a lithium battery – these batteries contain a lot of energy and are known to explode when damaged.”

You can watch footage of the incident, taken by Elliot Langran, below:

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