A passenger plane heading for Heathrow Airport narrowly avoided a disastrous incident after nearly being hit by a drone as it flew over the Shard.

The Airbus A320 was in its final descent into the west London airport with 165 people on board when it came near a drone on July 17.

According to a report released on the incident, the aircraft was a mere 20 metres away from the remote controlled object as it flew by the 95 storey skyscraper.

It states: "Although the incident did not show on the NATS (National Air Traffic Services) radars, the Board noted that the pilot had estimated the separation to be 20m from the aircraft, at co-altitude, and that there had not been time to take any avoiding action."

Drone related incidents across west London

The report said pilots saw the drone hover over the right wing before flying near the stabiliser next to the tail fin.

Investigators at the UK Airprox Board, which examines near misses in British airspace, said, July’s case near The Shard was "a very near miss".

The plane was flying over the Shard when the drone incident happened

It is one of a series of incidents that are a growing concern for pilots and aviation experts.

Watch as Geneva to Heathrow plane hits drone on approach

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A recent rise in near-misses involving drones has led to warnings that offenders could face up to six months imprisonment if they flew drones irresponsibly.

An investigation was launched in April after it was believed a drone collided with a passenger plane near Heathrow.

The incident was described as a 'very near miss'
The pilot spotted the drone just metres from the Heathrow-bound plane

In September 2015, a drone came within metres of colliding with a passenger jet at Heathrow, and in January the same year a runway was closed after a drone was spotted.

The head of the Metropolitan Police Aviation Policing Command, chief superintendent Martin Hendy has previously said: "The message is do not fly them anywhere near airports or flight paths, or over crowded places such as football and other stadiums.

"The potential is there for a major incident.

"One of the challenges is to ensure people realise what is legitimate and what is illegal."

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