Drone 'risked plane collision' over London - report

The aircraft was flying at 9,200 ft (2,804m) over central London when a large drone was seen overhead, the report found

There was a "definite risk of collision" when a large drone flew close to a passenger plane in mid-air over central London, an aviation safety body has found.

An airline pilot described how the "triangular" drone partially blocked his view as the plane flew in clear skies at 9,200 ft (2,804m) just after 18:00 GMT on 19 May.

The Airbus A320 had reached a speed of 287mph (462km/h) soon after taking off from Heathrow when crew saw a "bright white object pass overhead from the opposite direction" according to the report by the UK Airprox Board (UKAB).

The legal UK limit for flying drones is 400ft (120m) in unrestricted airspace.

A drone caused the risk of a mid-air collision, the UKAB said

The report said: "The object appeared to be approximately 2-3m in size at the very least, it may have been larger as it filled a good proportion of the windshield.

"The first officer observed that it was triangular in shape.

"The pilot stated that the object 'went over us, probably within about 10 metres'," the report said.

The UKAB, which monitors near misses in aviation, concluded that "providence had played a major part in the incident and a definite risk of collision had existed".

The incident was immediately reported to air traffic controllers, the report said, although the drone operator was not located, according to the UKAB.

An Airbus A320 can carry as many as 180 passengers, although it is not know how many people were on board at the time or which airline it was operated by.

The rise in popularity of drones has been an ongoing issue for the aviation industry, particularly since a major incident affecting Gatwick Airport in December 2018.

Hundreds of thousands of people had their Christmas holiday plans ruined by drones being repeatedly flown near the airport, which police described as "deliberate act" of disruption.