A pilot operating an Airbus A319 reported a close encounter with an unidentified object near Gatwick Airport on the morning of April 29.
The aircraft was descending and turning left when the pilot saw a disc‑shaped object, described as a potential drone, passing just beyond the right wing at an altitude of 8,500 feet.
According to the UK Airprox Board, the object was only about 100 feet from the plane, yet no evasive action was required because the aircraft was already executing a turn.
Investigators cross‑checked the sighting with radar data but were unable to confirm whether the object was a known drone, and no other pilots in the area reported seeing it.
The board noted that the object’s altitude and appearance made it impossible to determine its nature, but concluded that the safety risk was reduced, with no collision threat.
This incident joins a growing number of reports of unidentified aerial phenomena, though most are attributed to misidentifications or insufficient data, and there is no central system for recording such sightings.
