Illegal drone nearly crashed into private jet used by Prince Harry and Meghan

FILE PHOTO: A passenger plane on its approach to London Luton Airport. Picture: Reuters

FILE PHOTO: A passenger plane on its approach to London Luton Airport. Picture: Reuters

Published Dec 18, 2019

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A private used by celebrities, including the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, was just merely metres away from an illegal drone in Britain.

The NetJets Bombardier was cruising at 200mph and 4 000ft above Luton Airport when the near-miss happened,  The Sun reported.

At the time of the incident which is said to have happened in August, the drone was flying at four times the allowed height and it is understood to be the joint closest ever miss recorded in UK airspace, according to  the Mirror.

The 14-seat £46-million Bombardier jet is owned by rental company NetJets. It was flying from Nice to Luton and was about 22km west of the airport when the drone nearly collided with it.

No other pilots saw the remote-controlled device near the airport, and the official report did not disclose the ­identity of any passengers on the jet.

Had the drone collided with the plane, it would have been fatal, said one flying expert. “The damage could have been really serious. If a drone hit the ­windshield it could kill or incapacitate at least one of the flight crew," former BA pilot Terry Tozer told The Sun.

“It could also be ingested into an engine with a similar outcome to a bird strike. These types of incidents are going to be an increasing problem. It’s a real concern for pilots.

“Stricter regulations have been brought in but you will always get people who don’t care about the rules.

“It’s very difficult to know how we are going to control drones.”

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