Featured photo: archival Boeing 777 at Heathrow, 17 October 2014—not identified as the incident aircraft. The official record does not name an airline. MercerMJ / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0; source photograph unaltered, resized for display.
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A Boeing 777 crew reported a silver object passing close above its right wing after departure from Heathrow. The UK Airprox Board assessed a serious collision risk—but did not establish what the object was.
Case 2026127 concerns 24 June 2026 at 12:08 UTC, not a new October encounter. It appears in the board’s 16 September 2026 meeting summary.
What the record establishes
The aircraft was climbing through 5,800 feet northeast of Guildford. The pilot considered the reflective object likely to be a drone and estimated that it passed no more than 50 feet above the aircraft; horizontal separation was not reported. NATS found no associated radar contact.
The board assigned Category A, judging that chance had contributed materially to avoiding a collision and/or that a definite collision risk existed. Separately, it classified the object as unknown.
Risk is not identification
The assessment supports taking the reported encounter seriously. It does not confirm a drone, unusual technology or an extraterrestrial explanation. Nor does the summary identify the airline. The separation is a reported estimate, not a radar-verified measurement.
Primary source: UKAB September summary sheet (DOCX).
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