A police investigation is underway in the UK after the pilot of an Airbus A320 claimed his plane was struck by a drone as it approached Heathrow airport. The incident is believed to be the first time a UAV has crashed into a commercial jet during landing. The British Airways flight from Geneva was hit as it came in to land at the London airport at 12:50 BST on Sunday. The 132 passengers and five cabin crew on board were unaware of the collision, which was reported to the Metropolitan Police’s aviation security unit by the pilot after the plane safely landed at Terminal 5. “A pilot on an inbound flight into Heathrow Airport from Geneva reported to police that he believed a drone had struck the aircraft,” said a Scotland Yard spokesperson. British Airways said engineers thoroughly examined the aircraft and cleared it for the next flight after the incident was reported. There have been numerous cases of near-misses between drones and commercial aircraft in recent years. Steve Landells, a flight safety specialist at the British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa), said a collision was inevitable. “Frankly it was only a matter of time before we had a drone […]
