The UK Airprox Board has detailed four Category A incidents involving drones this summer at a board meeting on October 11. A Category A event is where a serious risk of collision is determined to have existed.
Three of the episodes happened over an eight-day period in July. The first occurred on July 24 when the pilot of a Boeing 757 heading for Bristol reported what he believed to be a drone carrying a suspended load as the jet passed through 4,800ft.
Two days later a 787 pilot noted a drone just below and to the left of his aircraft while on final approach to Heathrow’s Runway 27L. It passed below and to the right of the Dreamliner at a reported separation of 50ft vertical/20m horizontal. A 777 pilot reported a similar close call on July 31 while making an ILS approach to Gatwick’s Runway 26L. The drone passed abeam, to the right of the jet, at a reported separation of 0ft vertical/30m horizontal.