London - The drone which hit a passenger plane above London on Sunday was flying at four times the height permitted in Britain.
The British Airways jet, carrying 132 passengers and five crew, was flying at around 1 700ft (about 500m) when it was struck as it came in to land at Heathrow.
The incident prompted calls for tougher action against irresponsible drone users and a compulsory register for owners, as experts warned police had “no chance” of tracing the drone.
Aviation safety experts said it should be a “wake-up call” to illustrate the danger posed to passenger planes by the popular gadgets.
A drone could destroy an airliner’s engine or smash a cockpit windscreen with disastrous results, they said.
The crash happened above Richmond Park in South-West London but a police search has yet to find debris from the smashed drone.
Tens of thousands of drones have been sold in Britain. Because they do not have to be licensed or registered, it makes it difficult for police to trace the owner.
The BA Airbus 320 from Geneva was hit as it came into land at 12.38pm on Sunday. The strike is believed to be the first time a drone has hit a commercial plane in British airspace but a report last month found there were 23 near misses between drones and aircraft in the six months between April and October last year, including two at Heathrow.
Daily Mail