Object that struck flight approaching Heathrow no longer 'thought to have been a drone'

Two weeks ago it was reported that a British Airways plane that was preparing to land at Heathrow Airport had been hit by a suspected drone.

After the pilot reported the incident on arrival to the airport, the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) launched an investigation. It didn't turn-up any leads, and ended with a conclusion that there is a lack of evidence to pursue an investigation.

Robert Goodwill, the Transport Minister, spoke at the European Union Internal Market Subcommittee last week, in which he said:

There was no actual damage to the plane and there is indeed some speculation it may have been even a plastic bag or something. The pilot has a lot of other things to concentrate on [when landing] so we’re not quite sure what they saw.

As there is no evidence to suggest any wrongdoing, the investigation into the incident is closed. The fact that no damage was dealt to the plane, and it was able to continue on to its next flight after inspection, suggests that it was unlikely to be a drone.

Source: The Guardian

Editor's note: The title of this article was amended shortly after being published.