Drone hits plane with nearly 140 people in UK

A British Airways plane with 137 people on board struck a suspected drone while it was landing at Heathrow airport in London, prompting police to launch a probe.

The Airbus A320, with 132 passengers and five crew on board from Geneva was hit as it approached Heathrow airport at about 12:50 PM local time on Sunday. After landing, the pilot reported an object - believed to be a drone that struck the front of the plane.

The Metropolitan Police's aviation security unit based at Heathrow which is leading the investigation said no arrests has been made so far in the case. If confirmed, it's thought it would be the first such incident in the UK, the BBC reported.

A British Airways spokesperson said, "Our aircraft landed safely, was fully examined by our engineers and it was cleared to operate its next flight". A Civil Aviation Authority spokesman said it was "totally unacceptable" to fly drones - which are generally used to capture aerial film or photographs - close to airports.

Flying drones near airports is a punishable offence which could attract up to five years in prison in the UK.