Airliner narrowly misses illegal drones at Heathrow

[red750]

A British Airways flight avoided colliding with a pair of illegally flown drones by just metres, putting 200 passengers' lives at risk, a report has revealed.

 

The Airbus A321 on a flight from Rome was at a height of 800ft and on its final approach to Heathrow when the terrifying near-miss happened.

 

The plane was quickly descending at 160mph when the two drones loomed into view at 1pm on July 28 over Isleworth, west London.

 

Flying at about 800ft, they were just 50ft above the plane as it soared beneath them, meaning the risk to the plane and passengers was severe. 

 

A report by the UK Airprox Board, which assesses near misses, rated it a Category A incident where there was a serious risk of collision.

 

The drones were being flown illegally at double the usual 400ft maximum height for the devices.

 

It is believed that they were deliberately being flown just outside the 5km restriction zone for drones which extends from the ends of every airport runway in the UK.

 

The pilot or pilots of the devices risked prosecution for endangering an aircraft by reckless flying which carries a maximum penalty of five years in jail - but they were never caught.

[onetrack]

Russian disruption operatives checking to see what kind of damage they could do to British aviation? The Russians have already been caught placing incendiary devices on cargo aircraft, with the intention of creating serious damage and loss of life to Western/NATO countries, who they believe are conducting war on Russia. There has never been a more dangerous time for Western aviation than the present, with an angry and embittered Russia intent on creating havoc amongst its "enemies".

 

Edited November 19 by onetrack
spelling...

[Marty_d]

I think there's enough stupid people in England that you don't have to go looking for reds under the bed.

[cscotthendry]

800 feet is definitely illegal in the UK fo drones.
But going by the numbers, the airliner was at 750’ at more than 5 klm from the end of the runway. Can any of the airline pilots here tell me if that's a normal approach?

[turboplanner]

Most private drones, even the bigger ones would be blown out of the way or flicked off by an RPT aircraft; more information needed.

[Deano747]

3 degree glide path puts you at 750' at ~ 2.5nm. 

 

[FlyBoy1960]

On a standard glide path for a jet-powered passenger aircraft, the descent typically follows a 3-degree glide slope, which is a standard approach angle used at most airports worldwide.

Calculating the Distance

A 3-degree glide slope means the aircraft descends approximately 300 feet per nautical mile (nm).

Given the altitude of 750 feet, the aircraft's horizontal distance from the airport can be calculated as:

Distance=AltitudeDescent rate per nm=750300=2.5 nm.\text{Distance} = \frac{\text{Altitude}}{\text{Descent rate per nm}} = \frac{750}{300} = 2.5 \, \text{nm}.Distance=Descent rate per nmAltitude=300750=2.5nm.

Conversion to Statute Miles

1 nautical mile is approximately 1.15 statute miles, so:

Distance in statute miles=2.5×1.15≈2.88 miles.\text{Distance in statute miles} = 2.5 \times 1.15 \approx 2.88 \, \text{miles}.Distance in statute miles=2.5×1.15≈2.88miles.

Conclusion

At 750 feet altitude, a jet-powered passenger aircraft would typically be about 2.5 nautical miles (4.6 kilometers) or 2.88 statute miles from the airport, assuming a 3-degree glide path.

 

So, nothing to see here.

[facthunter]

3,000 feet at 10 Nm.   Nev