An airline
pilot reports a close encounter with a UFO near Heathrow Airport which has
baffled the aviation authorities
 |
| The incident occurred while the A320 Airbus was cruising at 34,000ft, around 20 miles west of the airport, over the Berkshire countryside (Photo: Alamy) |
It was
certainly a close encounter, but with precisely what remains a mystery.
An airline
pilot has reported a near miss in which a “rugby ball”-shaped UFO passed within
a few feet of his passenger jet while flying near Heathrow Airport.
The captain
told the aviation authorities who have investigated the incident that he was
certain the object was going to crash into his aircraft and ducked as it headed
towards him.
The
investigation has been unable to establish any earthly identity for the
mysterious craft, which left the aircrew with no time to take evasive action.
The
incident occurred while the A320 Airbus was cruising at 34,000ft, around 20
miles west of the airport, over the Berkshire countryside.
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The captain
spotted the object travelling towards the jet out of a left hand side, cockpit
window, apparently heading directly for it.
A report
into the incident states: “He was under the apprehension that they were on
collision course with no time to react. His immediate reaction was to duck to
the right and reach over to alert the FO (First Officer); there was no time to
talk to alert him.”
It adds:
“The Captain was fully expecting to experience some kind of impact with a
conflicting aircraft.”
He told
investigators he believes the object passes “within a few feet” above the jet.
He
described it as being “cigar/rugby ball like” in shape, bright silver and
apparently “metallic” in construction.
Once he had
composed himself, he checked the aircraft’s instruments and contacted air
traffic controllers to report the incident. However, there was no sign of the
mystery craft.
The
incident was investigated by the UK Airprox Board, which studies “near misses”
involving aircraft in British airspace.
It checked
data recordings to establish what other aircraft were in the area at the time,
but eliminated them all from its quest to find out what had been responsible.
It also ruled out meteorological balloons, after checking none were released in
the vicinity. Toy balloons were also discounted, as they are not large enough
to reach such heights. Military radar operators were also contacted but were
unable to trace the reported object.
The
sighting occurred in daylight, at around. 6.35pm on July 13. It has only
emerged now, following publication of the report, which concluded it was “not
possible to trace the object or determine the likely cause of the sighting”.
The report
does not name the airline or flight involved. Even though it describes the
aircraft as being "just to the west of Heathrow", aviation experts
believe that at such an altitude it would be unlikely to have taken off from,
or be preparing to land at, the west London airport.
Instead,
the A320, which is popular with many carriers, among them British Airways and
Virgin, is likely to have been travelling between a regional airport elsewhere
in the UK, and another on the Continent. The aircraft typically carry about 150
passengers.
The
Ministry of Defence closed its UFO desk in December 2009, along with its
hotline for reporting such sightings. Following that change, the Civil Aviation
Authority took the decision that it would continue to look into such reports,
from aircrew and air traffic controllers, because they could have implications
for “flight safety”.
In 2012,
the head of the National Air Traffic Control Services admitted staff detected
around one unexplained flying object every month.
Dr David
Clarke, a Sheffield Hallam academic and the UFO consultant for the National
Archives, said: “The aviation authorities obviously think this is something
they should continue to look into and if you are a regular air traveller, you
are likely to agree.”
Dr Clarke,
a sceptic on UFO issues, said: “This latest sighting is interesting, because it
is detailed and clear. These pilots don’t file these reports for something and
nothing. There was obviously something there.”
Chris
Yates, an aviation consultant, said: “Although we assume when these things
happen, a UFO is responsible, there is usually an explanation that materialises
at some point.”
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