Gatwick airport crash fear as drone comes within horrifying 30ft of passenger jet

A drone came within 10m-20m of colliding with a Boeing 737 airliner on its approach to Gatwick Airport, a report reveals. Investigators said it was only due to “providence” that a more serious incident did not take place.

The report on the black object, believed to be a drone, was submitted to the UK Airprox Board, a body that probes aviation near-misses. The passenger plane was coming into land at , over Bexhill on Sea in east Sussex, when the incident occurred. Official papers state: “The B737 pilot reports passing over the south coast, descending into LGW, when the Captain saw a black object (believed to be a drone) in front of the aircraft. "There was no time to take avoiding action and the object passed 10-20m on the right-hand side of the aircraft". The horizontal distance from the plane was around 30ft at its shortest point, while the object was spotted approximately 10 ft above the level the aircraft was flying at.

"The pilot reported the near-miss to air traffic control. Airprox Board members ruled: “The Board considered that providence had played a major part in the incident and/or a definite risk of collision had existed.”

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The incident in January this year was given an A rating, the most serious risk level. It was reported to Air Traffic Control with the danger of a collision said to be 'high'.

Meanwhile, a new ray gun that uses high-frequency radio waves to blast drones out of the sky has been successfully trialled by the Army.

Soldiers used the weapon to target and take down swarms of the deadly devices in the largest trial of its type at a firing range in Wales. And the successful trial was hailed a game-changer by defence minister Maria Eagle, who said it could save the country a fortune when it comes to buying weapons.

The use of drones is on the rise across the UK, with warnings from police about their use in and around airports and in public spaces. Each blast from the Radiofrequency Directed Energy Weapon (RF DEW) costs just 10p. It could be used alongside existing systems, the said after trials last week.

Developed and built in the UK, the weapon uses radio waves to damage critical electronic components inside drones, causing them to crash or malfunction. It can fire at flying up to 1km away, according to MoD experts.

Tests have proven it was capable of hitting multiple targets simultaneously. The army tracked, engaged and defeated more than 100 drones using the weapon.

No.10 has invested more than £40million in RF DEW research and development to date. The project supports 135 jobs in Northern Ireland and south-east England. The MoD has previously said the development of RF DEW systems could play a role in preventing disruption at airports.