UK Airprox Board: unknown silver object passed a British Airways 777 at 5,800 ft

A British Airways Boeing 777-300ER climbing out of Heathrow for New York on June 24, 2026, reported an unknown object over Guildford, Surrey. The pilot said that while climbing toward 6,000 ft, passing 5,800 ft, a shiny silver object passed in the opposite direction, very fast and very close to the right wing, at no more than 50 ft above the aircraft's altitude.

London Terminal Control was told the object had gone over the right wing, moving very fast, probably silver, metallic and reflective, and about the size of four toasters. The crew first described it as a drone. The UK Airprox Board later said it could not determine what the object was.

Key details

• Date and place: June 24, 2026, over Guildford on departure from Heathrow.
• Type: British Airways Boeing 777-300ER, 256 passengers and crew, destination New York.
• The Board could not identify the object from the reported altitude and description.
• The Board assessed that providence had played a major part and that a definite risk of collision had existed.
• The flight continued to JFK International Airport.

The Board considered that providence had played a major part and that a definite risk of collision had existed.

Why it matters

The UK Airprox Board is the body that assesses reported airprox in UK airspace. It left this object unidentified and still rated a definite collision risk.

What happens next

Individual 2026 airprox report files are listed on the UK Airprox Board's public index. No further timeline was announced.