The Category A near miss took place as the aircraft flew over the iconic tree-lined Long Walk

A British Airways jet narrowly avoided a catastrophic collision with an illegally operated drone near Windsor Castle.

The A320 aircraft, which can carry up to 180 passengers, was travelling at 170mph on its final descent into Heathrow when the co-pilot spotted a "small blue drone" from the cockpit, according to a report by the UK Airprox Board.

The first officer, seated on the right-hand side of the flight deck, described the device as "very close" and estimated it passed within 50 feet - roughly equivalent to the plane's wingspan.

Investigators established that the near miss happened at 1,300 feet above the ground on May 9 this year.

The official report identified the location as Windsor Castle, though whether the King was in residence at the time remains unknown.

The near miss is thought to have taken place as the jet flew over the iconic tree-lined Long Walk, the ceremonial avenue leading to the castle that has served as the backdrop for royal weddings, state funerals and official visits.

Heathrow air traffic control was immediately notified by the flight crew, who then issued warnings to pilots of other aircraft approaching the airport to be vigilant for drones in the vicinity.

Flight tracking data identified the plane as a BA service arriving from Florence, Italy.

Following a safe landing, engineers conducted a visual inspection of the aircraft's exterior and found no signs of damage.

The Airprox Board classified the encounter as a Category A incident, its most serious rating, indicating a genuine risk of collision.

The report concluded that the available evidence was "sufficient to indicate" that the object "could have been a drone."

"The Board considered that providence had played a major part in the incident and/or a definite risk of collision had existed," the report said.

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The drone was being operated unlawfully as the entire Windsor area falls within a designated no-fly zone for such devices, and the altitude of 1,300ft exceeded the standard legal ceiling of 400ft by more than threefold.

While most consumer drones come equipped with software that restricts their maximum altitude, these limits can be worked around using patches available for purchase online.

Investigators believe the drone operator may have been attempting to capture dramatic footage of a commercial airliner in flight.

The person responsible was never identified, despite facing a potential prison sentence of up to five years for endangering an aircraft.

Aviation safety specialists have repeatedly raised concerns about the dangers drones pose to cockpit windscreens and jet engines, warning that a strike could have devastating consequences.

This was not the first such scare above Windsor involving a British Airways flight.

A separate Airprox Board report published in December 2023 detailed how a drone came within just 60ft of a BA Boeing 787 Dreamliner flying at 270mph over the same area.

That earlier incident involved an aircraft capable of carrying up to 216 passengers, shortly after it had departed Heathrow bound for Montreal, Canada, on July 25 of that year.

It too received a Category A classification from investigators.