The object struck the front of the British Airways plane flying from Geneva just after 12.50pm today as it was coming into land
A packed British Airways plane passenger jet was hit by a suspected drone as it came in to land at Heathrow Airport.
The object struck the front of the plane just after 12.50pm today as it was landing at Terminal Five – but left no damage.
The 132 passengers and five crew onboard the BA727 flight from Geneva were unaware of the drama after the pilot landed safely.
British Airways said the aircraft was examined by engineers and cleared for its next flight following the incident.
It is thought to be the first time in the world a drone has crashed into a commercial jet during landing.
A Met Police spokesman said they were investigating and no arrests had been made.
Detectives probing the incident refused to rule out whether the drone collision was terror related.
A Scotland Yard spokeswoman said “a pilot on an inbound flight into Heathrow Airport from Geneva reported to police that he believed a drone had struck the aircraft” at around 12.50pm.
She said: “The flight landed at Heathrow Terminal Five safely. It transpired that an object, believed to be a drone, had struck the front of the aircraft.
“No arrests have been made and enquiries continue. Aviation police based at Heathrow investigate.”
Asked if the police had ruled out it being a terror attack, the spokeswoman said: “We are no commenting on that at this time. The investigation is on-going”.
Read more: Drone operator flew craft within TEN FEET of a packed airliner in pitch darkness
Aviation police, who are investigating the incident, said on Twitter the impact had been reported to them by the concerned pilot.
They said: “Officers are currently speaking to a pilot who has reported a drone flying very close to his aircraft on approach to Heathrow.
“This is dangerous, it is also a crime. Please be aware of the rules before you start flying a drone.”
A British Airways spokesperson said the Airbus A320 was examined by engineers who said no major damage was done.
He said: “Our aircraft landed safely, was fully examined by our engineers and it was cleared to operate its next flight.
“Safety and security are always our first priority and we will give the police every assistance with their investigation.”
Although no damage was caused to the plane in this particular incident, the consequences of a drone striking a plane could be serious.
The strike came just weeks after Prime Minister David Cameron warned drones could be used by Islamic State terrorists to drop a dirty bomb.
Mr Cameron said: “When it comes to the problems of international terrorism, the concept of terrorists and nuclear materials coming together is obviously a very chilling prospect and something, in light of the Belgian attacks, we know is real.”
A UK official said: “There is concern about foreign fighters looking at how they can use drones to disperse these substances, and it goes from there.”
Read more: Skilled pilots slalom flying drones around Wembley stadium
Counter-terror expert Colonel Richard Kemp said: “It is deeply alarming that a drone may be able to fly into a plane like this.
“Whether this turns out to be related to terrorism or not it is just one more Illustration of the enormous challenges facing out anti terror agencies daily.
“We know terrorists have for a long time sought to use drones to visit violence on innocent people and it a very real threat.
“We should all be very concerned about this.”
Drones can be bought cheaply online on sites such as Amazon and there are fears they could be used to launch strikes on open air targets.
This is the most serious in a series of incidents involving suspected drones in recent months.
In the six months between April and October last year there were 23 near-misses with drones in the UK.
Earlier this year the head of the International Air Transport Association warned that drones flown by the general public are “a real and growing threat” to civilian aircraft.
Tony Tyler called for drone regulations to be put in place before any serious accidents occur.
There have been six near misses at Heathrow in the last two months alone, according to Hounslow Police.
A spokeswoman told Get West London: “We’re on the flight paths to Heathrow so people flying drones should be sensible about how they do so and make sure they are operating within the law.
“It could be your loved ones on a plane above whose lives you are endangering.”
BALPA has said previously it wants a registration system so users can be traced and prosecuted for reckless flying.
General secretary Jim McAuslan said: “We don’t want to stop responsible operators but those who endanger others must be aware they face penalties.”
Former RAF and British Airways pilot Steve Landells has warned that a drone hitting an airliner could result in an uncontrolled engine failure or a smashed cockpit windscreen.
Mr Landells, Balpa’s flight safety specialist, said there was a large amount of data on the effects of bird strikes on planes, but he said specific drone research was needed because “birds don’t have a big lump of lithium battery in them”.
And Karen Walker, editor of Air Transport World: “Sooner or later – and I personally believe it will be sooner – an airliner full of passengers and crew is going to be brought down after colliding with a drone.
“There – I’ve said it, though most in the industry won’t. That’s understandable, but it’s still not right.”
Anyone caught flying an unmanned aircraft above 400ft or beyond their eyeline can be convicted under the air navigation order 2009, which carries a maximum sentence of six months’ imprisonment.
Should their actions cause a pilot to take evasive action, they could be charged with endangering an aircraft and jailed for life.
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