Drone over Windsor came close to British Airways plane, report says

The UKAB monitors airspace safety and assesses near misses

A plane carrying up to 242 passengers came "very close" to colliding with a drone, its pilot has said.

The British Airways Boeing 787 Dreamliner was flying over Windsor, Berkshire, after departing from Heathrow Airport on 25 July.

At about 20:00 BST, when the aircraft was climbing at 3,000ft, the pilot saw the drone about 65ft (20m) away.

British Airways said it took such matters extremely seriously but confirmed no disruption was caused.

In the UK Airprox Board (UKAB) report, the drone was described as white, with multiple propellers but no lights.

The pilot said that whilst it was very close, it was apparent the drone would pass below and to their left.

Air traffic controllers were informed, who then passed the information on to the Heathrow control tower so other aircrafts could be made aware.

UKAB concluded "the reported altitude and/or description of the object were sufficient to indicate that it could have been a drone".

It considered the risk of collision as A, the highest category.

British Airways said the aircraft continued to its destination without issue.

The company said its pilots reported incidents so that authorities could investigate and take appropriate action.

The BBC has contacted the Civil Aviation Authority and Heathrow Airport for a response.

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