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<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>U.S. Air Force photo/ Tech. Sgt. Matthew Plew</span></p><p class="caption">An F-15E Strike Eagle assigned to the 494th Fighter Squadron conducts a high-speed pass over Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li>A pair of US F-15s appear to have come close to colliding with a couple of skydivers over southern England earlier this year, a British air safety board report reveals.</li><li>The US fighters were flying at 345 mph on a routine training flight when they passed below a pair of skydivers in freefall at 120 mph over Chatteris airfield, Stars and Stripes reported, citing a UK Airprox Board report.</li><li>RAF Lakenheath is "using this incident to reinforce the vital importance of situational awareness and attention to detail for all of our air traffic controllers and aircrew," the 48th Fighter Wing commander said.</li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Insider's homepage for more stories</a><span>.</span></li></ul><p>A pair of skydivers nearly had an unfortunate run-in with two US Air Force F-15 fighter jets in the skies above southern England earlier this year, a British air safety board reports.</p><p>The US fighters out of RAF Lakenheath, home to the US 48th Fighter Wing, were flying at 345 mph above Cambridgeshire on April 17. Above Chatteris airfield, a popular skydiving location the fighter pilots were not aware was active, two parachutists were in freefall at roughly 120 mph, Stars and Stripes <a href="https://www.stripes.com/news/europe/us-f-15s-came-close-to-hitting-parachutists-report-says-1.598537">reported</a>, citing a UK Airprox Board <a href="https://www.airproxboard.org.uk/uploadedFiles/Content/Standard_content/Airprox_report_files/2019/Airprox%20Report%202019077.pdf">report</a> released this past summer.</p><p>The skydivers captured video footage of the fighters passing beneath them.</p><p>"The Board was shown Go-Pro footage filmed from the helmet of one of the parachutists and could clearly see the F15s passing beneath," the report read, further explaining that "once the parachutists had seen the F15s there was very little they could do to avoid the situation, having no control over their speed or direction whilst in freefall."</p><p>There was a debate about how close the fighters actually came to the skydivers, Airprox explained, adding that the board eventually concluded that "safety had been reduced much below the norm." The pilots did not see the parachutists, nor were they aware of any planned jumps.</p><p>Chatteris airfield, according to the Airprox report, notifies Lakenheath every morning of its planned activities. The board agreed that "there was very little more that Chatteris could have done from an operational perspective to prevent" this near-miss, which was the result of problems both on the ground and in the air.</p><p>In response to this incident, the 48th Fighter Wing is briefing crews again and reminding everyone of the need to steer clear of the Chatteris skydiving site.</p><p>RAF Lakenheath is "using this incident to reinforce the vital importance of situational awareness and attention to detail for all of our air traffic controllers and aircrew," Col. Will Marshall, commander of the 48th Fighter Wing, told Stars and Stripes.</p><p>"UK airspace is incredibly complex and often congested, and the safety of our aircrew as well as those we share the skies with is our number one priority," he added. The Airprox report noted that prior to the near-miss with the skydivers, the F-15s had been forced to change course to avoid a KC-135 refueling tanker that was determined to be "on a collision course with the formation."</p><p>It was apparently that course change, combined with various other influencing factors, that sent the fighters over Chatteris and put the skydivers in danger.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-if-jump-off-international-space-station-2018-6">What would happen if you could skydive off the International Space Station</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

A pair US F-15 fighter jets came close to taking out a couple of free-falling skydivers at 350 mph in the sky over England

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><a href="http://www.airproxboard.org.uk/docs/423/20130911-2013.09Reports.pdf">UK Airprox Board</a></p></div><p></p></div>Two jumbo jets came frighteningly close to each other over Scotland this summer after misunderstanding air traffic control commands, according to a recent report.</p>
<p>The incident was explained in the latest release from the UK Airprox Board, which studies near-miss situations.</p>
<p>On June 23, a <keyword id="71561" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Lufthansa">Lufthansa</keyword> 747-830 flying to Washington, D.C. and a <keyword id="52088" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="British-Airways">British Airways</keyword> 747-436 en route to Vancouver were flying on converging routes when air traffic control had them climb to the same altitude.</p>
<p>When the <keyword id="6367788" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Planes">planes</keyword> were 9.8 nautical miles apart, a Short Term Conflict Alert (STCA) was triggered, and a controller ordered one plane to turn to the left and the other to the right.</p>
<p>If they had followed those instructions, according to the report, there would have been no problem. But each crew followed instructions meant for the other. Instead of diverging, they flew closer together.</p>
<p>With 100 feet of vertical separation (effectively nothing on planes that are 60 feet tall), they ended up just 2.8 nautical miles (3.2 miles) apart. The minimum safe separation is 5 nm.</p>
<p>It's not clear what caused the confusion, according to the report:</p>
<p>"The Board was surprised that all four pilots [two in each plane] had misheard or misinterpreted the avoiding action instructions despite at least one of the crews reading them back correctly. One airline pilot Member wondered if there could have been callsign confusion; this was discounted because they were not similar."</p>
<p>The Board concluded that the role of air traffic control - putting the planes at the same altitude - was "contributory," because "his subsequent recovery actions" would "have resolved the confliction." </p>
<p>The pilots, however, "by flying each other's avoiding action ATC instructions," caused the near miss. Nonetheless, there "was no risk of a collision."</p>

2 Jumbo Jets Came Way Too Close To Colliding After A Terrifying Mixup

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A British Airways pilot said a drone flew "extremely close" to their aircraft at 9,600 feet.</li><li>The Airbus A321 was flying at 250 mph when the drone was spotted, the MailOnline reported.</li></ul><p>A <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/airline-passenger-broken-headrest-exposed-bolt-long-distance-flight-2024-3">British Airways</a> jet had a close call with a drone flying more than 9,000 feet above its legal limit, safety investigators have said.</p><p>One of the pilots on the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/see-inside-airbus-a321neo-pioneering-long-haul-single-aisle-trend-2022-1">Airbus A321</a> said they saw an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) appear level with the plane's nose that then "shot down our right-hand side," describing it as "extremely close," per an Airprox <a target="_blank" href="https://www.airproxboard.org.uk/Documents/Download/2293/b6a1e017-ac79-4d3f-96fb-c800a254612e/3240">report</a>.</p><p>The plane was roughly 30 miles away from London Heathrow Airport when the incident occurred, the report said.</p><p>The pilot added that the UAS had been "on a constant bearing with closing distance."</p><p>Recreational drone operators are barred from flying any higher than 400 feet in the UK, according to the Civil Aviation Authority, but this one was recorded at an altitude of 9,600 feet — 24 times the limit.</p><p>The incident occurred on January 3, but it was first reported by the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13250171/British-Airways-flight-misses-drone-narrowly-dodged-jet-Greece-Heathrow-close-call.html">MailOnline</a> on March 28.</p><p>The Mail's report said the jet had 180 passengers on board and was flying at 250 mph while on its way back to London from Athens when the encounter took place.</p><p>The aircraft was waiting to join the final flight path to Heathrow when they spotted the rogue <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-made-drones-flying-restricted-dc-airspace-spark-spying-fears-2022-11">drone</a>, per the report.</p><p>The drone came within about five feet of the wing and around 30 feet of the cockpit, it added.</p><p>The incident was categorized as high risk in the Airprox report.</p><p>Researchers at the University of Dayton warned in 2018 that it was "only a matter of time" before a <a target="_blank" href="https://udayton.edu/udri/news/2018-09-13-risk-in-the-sky.php">drone strike</a> caused significant damage to a plane.</p><p>David Dunn, a drone expert at Birmingham University, highlighted the dangers posed by drones to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travel-truths/drone-bring-down-jet-emirates-gatwick-airport-ukraine-war/">The Telegraph</a>: "Research shows that a drone collision at speed in the air, through the walls of the aircraft, is enough to down an aircraft."</p><p>"If a drone was to go through the windscreen of an aircraft, it would certainly incapacitate the crew," he added.</p><p>In 2018, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gatwick-airport-video-shows-drone-that-shut-down-runway-for-32-hours-2018-12">flights were halted at London's Gatwick Airport</a> after drones were spotted close to a runway. It led to more than 1,000 flights being canceled between December 19 and December 21.</p>

A British Airways jet came 'extremely close' to a drone that was flying 24 times above its legal maximum altitude, report says

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>US Air Force/Senior Airman Erin Trower</span></p><p class="caption">A formation of F-15C Eagles, assigned to the 493rd Fighter Squadron, and an F-15E Strike Eagle, assigned to the 492nd Fighter Squadron, fly over Gloucestershire, England, to attend the Royal International Air Tattoo air show at Royal Air Force Fairford, July 7, 2016.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong>Over the past five years, US F-15s have been involved in numerous near-miss incidents over the UK.</strong></li><li><strong>Increased air traffic in UK skies has led the US Air Force to remind its pilots about air safety.</strong></li></ul><p><br />After a spate of near-misses between US Air Force F-15 fighter jets and UK aircraft over the past five years, US pilots are being told, among other things, to keep their windows clean to avoid accidents.</p><p>The UK Airprox Board, which is responsible for airspace safety in the country, has found that F-15s based in southeast Britain have been involved in 19 near-miss incidents since 2012, <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-suffolk-42063835" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the BBC.</p><p>The US Air Force has pointed to an increase in general aviation traffic in the area around the <span>Royal Air Force base </span>Lakenheath, where US fighters are based. The Air Force is also noting the lack of transponders on many civilian aircraft, which means they don't always get picked up by radar.</p><p>Almost all US aircraft at Lakenheath use ultra high-frequency (UHF) radios, the Air Force <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-suffolk-42063835" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>, while civilian aircraft use very high-frequency (VHF) radios, meaning Air Force aircraft cannot always hear their civilian counterparts while in the air.</p><p>A Mid-Air Collision Avoidance <a href="http://www.mildenhall.af.mil/Portals/9/documents/safety/AFD-100504-046.pdf?ver=2016-04-21-082909-180" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reference sheet</a> for Air Force pilots at Lakenheath and sister base Mildenhall reminds pilots that "most air misses occur during good ... weather conditions and during hours of daylight" and to "Avoid congested and/or training areas as much as possible."</p><p>The sheet also advises pilots that, prior to flight, they should, "Be familiar with and exercise caution in areas where you may expect to find a high volume of traffic" and, "Ensure your windscreen is clean."</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>US Air Force photo/Rank Name</span></p><p class="caption">An F-35 Lightning II from the 34th Fighter Squadron at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, taxis in at Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, April 15, 2017.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>While in flight, the sheet directs pilots to perform "gentle banks" to the left and right during climbs and descents in order to maintain visual scanning and to do clearing procedures before all turns or unusual maneuvers. "Scan, scan, and scan," the sheet concludes.</p><p>Over the past five years, the UK Airprox Board has recorded more than 1,000 near-miss incidents, about 360 of which involved military aircraft from the US or the UK.</p><p>Among the 19 involving US Air Force aircraft was <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-norfolk-40703042" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a January incident</a> in which a military air-traffic controller, who was distracted by a phone call, misunderstood the flight path of two US F-15 fighter jets, causing confusion during which the jets narrowly avoided colliding with an UK air force tanker.</p><p>One tanker pilot said an F-15 came within about 150 feet of his aircraft before flying past, and the Airprox Board <a href="https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-air-force/2017/11/27/air-force-tells-pilots-to-clean-windows-to-avoid-collisions-with-british-aircraft/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> the incident had "a serious risk of collision where luck had played a major part."</p><p>In April this year, two F-15s over western England had a close call with a glider, which did not show up on their radar. One of the F-15 pilots spotted the glider in his flight path and turned to avoid it, directing the other F-15 to do the same. The British Glider Association praised the pilot for spotting the glider, <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-suffolk-42063835" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the BBC.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/air-berlin-flight-flies-close-control-tower-germany-suspended-pilots-faa-watchdog-travel-jet-airbus-2017-10">Watch two pilots abort landing a plane filled with 200 passengers so they can buzz a control tower</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

Air Force pilots are being told to clean their windows to avoid crashes in the cluttered skies over the UK

<ul class="summary-list"><li>An Easyjet flight had a "near miss" with an "unidentified flying object," according to a new report.</li><li>The pilot said the plane missed the unmanned flying object by around 10 feet.</li></ul><p>An Easyjet flight had a "near miss" with an "unidentified flying object" flying at around 16,000 feet in the London air traffic control area in July, according to a report by the <a href="https://www.airproxboard.org.uk/reports-and-analysis/monthly-airprox-reviews/airprox-reports-2022/september/">UK Airprox Board</a>.</p><p>The pilot of the Airbus A320 — which was flying from London Gatwick to Rhodes in Greece — described the object as black and cylindrical and said it passed within 10 feet of the aircraft, per the report released last week.</p><p>The board rated the incident as Category A, meaning there was a risk of a collision, and said that the object was likely to be a drone.</p><p>It said: "In the board's opinion the reported altitude and/or description of the object were sufficient to indicate that it could have been a drone."</p><p>A National Air Traffic Services investigation report said the pilot first reported the incident over the radio during the flight.</p><p>"Going through FL160 we very nearly just hit a drone. We're talking less than ten feet," the pilot said. "We don't think we've hit it, there was a bit of a thud, we'll come back to you." </p><p>After landing the flight the pilot confirmed the plane had not made contact with the drone and the thud likely came from the cabin, per the report. </p><p>Drones are limited to an altitude of just 400 feet above the ground in the UK, per the <a href="https://register-drones.caa.co.uk/drone-code/where-you-can-fly#:~:text=Flying%20below%20the%20legal%20height,normally%20fly%20higher%20than%20this.">UK Civil Aviation Authority</a>, meaning the unmanned aerial vehicle would have been flying around forty times higher than the legal limit if it was a drone. </p><p>A spokesperson for Easyjet told Insider<a href="https://news.sky.com/story/easyjet-plane-comes-within-10-feet-of-drone-in-close-encounter-12729113?dcmp=snt-sf-twitter"></a>: "We are aware of the report and will always fully support any investigation."</p><p>"Safety is always easyJet's highest priority and our flight crew acted in accordance with our standard operating procedures to ensure the safety of the flight was not compromised."</p><p>A collision between a drone and an aircraft can cause <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/shocking-video-shows-what-happens-when-a-drone-crashes-into-a-plane-2018-11">severe </a>damage to the plane.</p><p>In 2018, Gatwick Airport in London was <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gatwick-airport-closed-runway-drones-2018-12?r=US&amp;IR=T">forced to close</a> for more than 24 hours after drones were flown over the runway.</p>

You Searched For "airprox" and got 6 results

A pair US F-15 fighter jets came close to taking out a couple of free-falling skydivers at 350 mph in the sky over England

Ryan Pickrell

2 Jumbo Jets Came Way Too Close To Colliding After A Terrifying Mixup

Alex Davies

2 Jumbo Jets Came Way Too Close To Colliding After A Terrifying Mixup

Alex Davies

A British Airways jet came 'extremely close' to a drone that was flying 24 times above its legal maximum altitude, report says

Pete Syme

Air Force pilots are being told to clean their windows to avoid crashes in the cluttered skies over the UK

Christopher Woody

A passenger plane came within 10 feet of crashing into a drone in a 'near miss' at 16,000 feet

Beatrice Nolan

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