Investigation launched after British Airways flight struck by suspected drone before landing
An official investigation has been launched into the circumstances surrounding a British Airways flight being struck by what is believed to be a drone as it came in to land at Britain's largest airport.
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch confirmed they were looking into what happened after an object hit the front of a passenger plane as it approached Heathrow’s Terminal 5 at around 12.50pm on Sunday.
The investigation comes as flight safety specialists called for greater enforcement and awareness of rules governing drone flights in the wake of reports the Airbus carrying 132 passengers and five crew had been struck.
Steve Landells, flight safety specialist at the British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa), said the fact a plane had been hit was an inevitability given the numbers of drones being flown around.
Have there been previous drone incidents at UK airports?
A report in March by the UK Airprox Board (UKAB) found there were 23 near misses between drones and aircraft in the six months between April and October last year.
These include:
September 30, 2015 - A small drone reportedly passed within a few metres of an A319 plane while it was on the approach to Heathrow.
September 13, 2015 - A silver drone with a "balloon-like" centre and four small rotors on each corner missed an E170 aircraft by about 20m as it flew over the Thames approaching London City Airport.
July 22, 2014 - A drone, which failed to show up on air traffic control systems, was spotted by the pilot of an Airbus A320 at Heathrow in what was believe to be the first near miss between passenger plane and a drone.
How have authorities reacted to the incident?
A Civil Aviation Authority spokesman has said it was "totally unacceptable" to fly drones close to airports and anyone flouting the rules can face severe penalties including imprisonment.
BA said the aircraft involved in the most recent near miss was examined by engineers and cleared to take off for its next flight, and Scotland Yard has confirmed no one has been arrested, following the incident.