A British Airways Airbus A320 jet carrying up to 180 passengers was on its final approach to Heathrow Airport when the co-pilot spotted a "small blue drone" approximately 50 feet from the aircraft, according to a report from the UK Airprox Board. The incident occurred at an altitude of 1,300 feet at 8:38 a.m. on May 9. The flight was traveling at 170 mph.

The near miss took place as the jet, which had departed from Florence, Italy, was passing over the Long Walk, a route leading to Windsor Castle. The UK Airprox Board, which investigates aviation proximity incidents, rated the event as a Category A, indicating a serious risk of collision. The report stated that the available information was "sufficient to indicate" the object could have been a drone and that "providence had played a major part in the incident and/or a definite risk of collision had existed."

The drone was believed to be operating illegally as the Windsor area is a designated no-fly zone for such devices. Furthermore, it was flying at an altitude of 1,300 feet, more than three times the legal maximum height of 400 feet. It is speculated that the drone operator may have been attempting to capture dramatic video footage of an aircraft in flight. The operator has not been traced.

Following the sighting, the pilots immediately alerted Heathrow air traffic control, which then informed other inbound flights to be vigilant for drones. A visual inspection of the British Airways aircraft after it landed safely revealed no damage.

Aviation experts have consistently warned about the dangers drones pose to aircraft, including the potential for catastrophic damage to cockpit windows or jet engines. The UK Airprox Board also reported a similar incident in December 2023, where a drone missed a British Airways Boeing 787 Dreamliner by 60 feet while it was taking off from Heathrow for Montreal, Canada, with up to 216 passengers on board. That incident was also classified as Category A.

Operators found guilty of endangering an aircraft can face jail sentences of up to five years.