EasyJet flight comes within 20 metres of hitting drone

An easyJet flight came within 20m of hitting a drone, according to a new report.

The incident was classed as Category A, meaning there was a “serious risk of collision”, according to the UK Airprox Board, which documents near-misses between planes and foreign objects.

Crew believed that, if the aircraft’s autopilot had still been engaged, “there was a very high probability that they would have struck the drone” during the 8 July flight.

The Airbus A320 was on the approach to Gatwick airport when the captain exclaimed “drone”.

The first officer spotted it flying directly in front of the aircraft, slightly to the left and about 100m away.

“Visual contact was maintained with the drone as it passed down the left side of the aircraft at the same level,” reads the report.

“The crew were unable to perform an evasive manoeuvre due to the speed of the event.”

The first officer alerted air traffic control and gave a statement to the police once the aircraft had landed safely.

According to the report, the drone was being flown above the maximum permitted height of 400ft and was “endangering aircraft”.

The risk of collision was documented as “high”.

A self-proclaimed “drone enthusiast”, the flight’s first officer identified the model of drone as being a DJI Inspire.

The findings were shared in the Airprox Board’s notes on all near-misses between aircraft and foreign objects, including drones, that occurred in UK airspace in July and August 2019.

There were 16 incidents recorded in total, with six of these designated the highest risk category.

During one involving an A319 aircraft on 18 August, the “crew were a little shaken after the event” as there was no time to take evasive action. The drone came within 25m of the aircraft.

The number of drone near-misses has hugely increased over the last five years, leaping from 0 in 2013 to 125 last year. There have been 87 incidents so far in 2019.