Manchester passenger jet in 'high risk' near miss with drone

Flying a drone above 400ft (120m) is banned under UK law

A passenger plane came within 16ft (5m) of striking a drone as it approached Manchester Airport, a report has revealed.

The Embraer 145 twin-engine jet, capable of carrying 50 passengers, was flying over Dovestone Reservoir on 14 September when the near miss occurred.

The co-pilot spotted the drone, which had no lights and "appeared to be stationary", the UK Airprox Board said.

The report concluded the near-miss was a category A - the highest risk.

It stated: "The board considered that the pilot's overall account of the incident portrayed a situation where providence had played a major part."

The plane was at an altitude of 4,300ft (1,310m) at the time, and the pilot had the cockpit's sun visor down as the flight prepared to land.

Flying a drone above 400ft (120m) - which increases the risk of a collision with a manned aircraft - is banned under UK law.

In March it was made illegal to fly a drone within within three miles (4.8km) of an airport, increased from the previous 0.6-mile (1km) exclusion zone.

The UK Airprox Board assesses incidents involving drones and keeps a log of all reports.

Last year's disruption at Gatwick Airport by drones caused about 1,000 flights to be cancelled or diverted over a 36-hour-period.

On Tuesday a Bombardier private jet came within 10ft (3.05m) of colliding with an unidentified drone.