British Airways flight hits possible drone during landing at Heathrow

A British Airways A320 like this one reportedly struck a possible drone today at Heathrow, again raising concerns about consumer drone operators flouting regulations and endangering aircraft. (credit: British Airways)

Police at London’s Heathrow Airport are investigating a possible drone collision with a British Airways jet while the airliner was landing. The pilot of the Airbus A320, carrying 132 passengers, reported that an object had struck the front of the aircraft around 1pm UK time on Sunday.

The aircraft was inspected for damage by British Airways engineers and cleared for its next flight, an airline spokesperson told the BBC. Any damage done to the aircraft was apparently superficial. But the incident adds to fears, supported by recent aviation safety reports released by the British government, that consumer drones pose a danger to commercial aviation.

Flying a drone near an airport in the UK is already a crime punishable by up to five years in prison. And rules set by the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority ban flying drones above 400 feet anywhere and flying drones out of a direct line-of-sight of the operator. The US has similar guidelines, with most metropolitan areas essentially designated as no-fly zones for drones because of how the Federal Aviation Administration defines airports—a definition that includes any hospital or building with a helicopter pad.