A Drawn Hitting an Airliner Cannot be Completely Ruled Out

What would happen if a drone hit an airliner is the question asked by Pilots?, who are calling for research, after 23 near-misses around UK airports in six months last year.

Reports from the UK Airprox Board reveal the incidents happened between 11 April and 4 October 2015.In one incident a drone passed within 25m (82ft) of a Boeing 777 near London Heathrow Airport.Pilots union Balpa wants the government and safety regulator to back research into how serious a strike could be.

The incident at Heathrow was one of 12 that were given an “A” rating by the independent board, meaning there was “a serious risk of collision”. It is the most serious risk rating out of five.Other incidents given the most serious rating include a drone coming within 20m (66ft) of a Embraer 170 jet on its approach to London City Airport above the Houses of Parliament on 13 September.

On the same day, a Boeing 737 had a near miss with a drone shortly after take-off from Stansted Airport in Essex.

Regulations set by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) prohibits unmanned aircraft from flying within 50m (164ft) of any vessel, vehicle or structure that is not in the control of the person in charge of the aircraft.The British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa) wants the Department for Transport and the CAA to back research into the possible consequences of a collision with a passenger jet.

Former RAF and British Airways pilot Steve Landells warned that a drone hitting an airliner could result in an uncontrolled engine failure or a smashed cockpit windscreen.

Mr Landells, Balpa’s flight safety specialist, said there was a large amount of data on the effects of bird strikes on planes, but he said specific drone research was needed because “birds don’t have a big lump of lithium battery in them”.