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Jet Incident Near Heathrow: No Drone Involved


FILE - British Airways' new Airbus A380 arrives at a hanger after landing at Heathrow airport in London July 4, 2013.
FILE - British Airways' new Airbus A380 arrives at a hanger after landing at Heathrow airport in London July 4, 2013.

Authorities in London say a British Airways jet that hit an object as it came in to land at Heathrow Airport this month did not strike a drone as first thought.

The pilot of the flight from Geneva reported a collision as the plane was approaching the airport on April 17, and police said at the time it was believed the jet hit a drone.

The incident sparked calls for tighter controls on unmanned aerial vehicles.

But Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin told lawmakers Thursday that investigators now think a drone was not involved in the incident.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch said it had ended its investigation. It said ''we made initial inquiries but there was insufficient information on what object was involved for us to take it further.''

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