A British Airways Boeing 787 Dreamliner, with 242 passengers on board, narrowly missed a drone at Heathrow last summer. The UK Airprox Board announced this on Friday. Drones have been a danger to civil aviation for years, although no major accidents have ever occurred.

The BA Boeing 787 had just taken off from London Heathrow on July 25 for a flight to Cape Town when the crew, at 10,000 feet, reported the proximity of a drone, estimated to be 20 meters away. The pilots' assessment was that there was no collision course.

They informed air traffic controllers at Heathrow who in turn alerted the crews of other departing or arriving aircraft. The drone disappeared and authorities have not determined where the device came from.

According to the UK Airprox Board there was ICAO risk level A: the highest level.

Unmanned aerial vehicles have been a concern for civil aviation for years. The drones can accidentally fall into the path of an aircraft, or on purpose. Civil aviation organization ICAO has been warning about the danger for some time.

Although there are strict rules for the use of drones everywhere, especially near airports, incidents still occur. In December 2018, traffic at London Gatwick was severely disrupted for two days by several drones in the area. Despite a lengthy investigation, British authorities failed to track down the perpetrators.

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* Origin: AVIATION ECHO HQ (2:292/854)