A320 Landed Safely After Pilot Reported Hitting An Object

A British Airways A320 reportedly impacted a UAV while on approach to Heathrow Airport Sunday afternoon.

The pilot of the aircraft reported that an object had struck the airliner operating as flight BA727. It was arriving from Geneva and making its final approach to Heathrow. The flight landed without further incident.

The plane was inspected by engineers and was cleared for its next scheduled flight, according to Sky News.

An investigation is underway to attempt to identify the person who was operating the drone at the time of the incident. There were 132 passengers and five crew on board the flight.

Steve Landells of the British Airline Pilots Association told Sky News that such a strike was "only a matter of time ... given the huge numbers being flown around by amateurs who don't understand the risks and rules."

The U.K. Airprox Board released a report last month indicating there had been 23 reports of near collisions between airliners and drones between April and October of last year. If it is confirmed, Sunday's incident would be the first collision between an airliner and a drone in the U.K.

(Image from file. Not incident airplane)

FMI: www.airproxboard.org.uk