Near miss at 3,000ft as ‘flying saucer’ stalked passenger jet over Gatwick

A passenger jet came within just 100ft of a mysterious “flying saucer” object during its approach to Gatwick Airport in a chilling near-miss that has sparked fresh fears over rogue drones threatening Britain’s skies.

The Airbus A319 pilot reported seeing a strange disc-shaped object flying directly towards the aircraft as it descended for landing in April.

According to a newly released investigation by the UK Airprox Board, the pilot described the object as a “disc” or “flying saucer” with darker markings around its rim as it passed dangerously close to the aircraft’s right wing.

Investigators said the suspected drone was travelling in the opposite direction at the same altitude as the passenger plane.

The report stated: “The A319 pilot reports that descending, turning left, a disc or ‘flying saucer’ type suspected drone was seen flying very close in the opposite direction, at the same level to them, past their right wing.”

The object was estimated to have been between 100ft and 300ft from the aircraft.

Despite the alarming encounter, the pilot did not need to take evasive action because the aircraft was already banking into a turn, LBC reported.

However, aviation investigators concluded the incident had “reduced” the safety of the flight — highlighting the growing threat posed by unidentified drones around busy airports.

An airprox incident is recorded when the distance, position or speed of aircraft could compromise safety in the view of pilots or air traffic controllers.

The Gatwick scare is not an isolated case.

In another incident at Heathrow Airport in April, flight crew reported a drone passing so close to their aircraft that they could see its markings and even its propellers.

The revelations come just days after the Airprox Board disclosed that two RAF pilots reported seeing a possible unidentified flying object during an air-to-air refuelling operation over the North Sea near Norfolk in February.

The object, which did not appear on radar, remains unexplained.

With Britain’s airports already facing disruption from drone incursions, aviation experts are warning that the skies are becoming increasingly vulnerable to unidentified aircraft — whether human-controlled or something far more mysterious.