Overview
- A British Airways A320 arriving from Florence passed within about 50 feet of an object the Airprox Board said could have been a drone at roughly 1,300 feet during final approach to Heathrow on 9 May.
- The co-pilot in the right-hand seat reported seeing a small blue drone as the jet travelled about 170mph with up to 180 people on board.
- The Airprox Board classified the event as Category A, its highest risk rating, and said providence had played a major part in avoiding a collision.
- Flight crew alerted Heathrow air traffic control, other inbound pilots were warned, the aircraft landed safely and a visual inspection found no damage, but investigators did not trace an operator.
- The episode echoes a separate Category A near-miss over Windsor in 2023 and highlights repeated breaches of the Windsor no‑fly zone and the 400 ft legal ceiling, which could drive tighter enforcement, improved detection systems and renewed safety scrutiny for passengers and local residents.