A PILOT had to launch a passenger plane leaving Leeds Bradford Airport (LBA) higher in the air after almost colliding with a drone at around 6,500 feet.
The incident involved a Boeing 737 and occurred at 7.22am on March 28 earlier this year.
The co-pilot yelped: "Did you see that?" as a black drone with two red LED lights passed down the left side of the plane from around 100 metres away.
They saw it clearly enough to see it manoeuvre initially towards the aircraft then away and down from it.
It meant the plane was cleared to reach an altitude of 23,000ft with no speed restriction.
No impact was felt as the flight continued without further incident and no damage was spotted on the plane on the walk round after landing.
The captain noted that although it seemed unlikely to encounter a drone at 6,500ft, the co-pilot was convinced of was what they saw, together with the drone’s avoiding action.
The reported risk of collision was of a medium level.
The NATS investigation found that subsequent departures from LBA were vectored clear of the area.
The controller also stated that they asked the pilot of another aircraft, which was routeing between Doncaster and Newcastle, above and to the east of the drone sighting, if they could see the drone, but they could not.
Analysis of the radar by Safety Investigations indicated that there were no associated primary or secondary contacts visible on radar at the approximate time of the event.
As part of April's summary report, the UK Airprox Board risk report said: "In the Board’s opinion, the reported altitude and/or description of the object were sufficient to indicate that it could have been a drone.
"The Board considered that the pilot’s overall account of the incident portrayed a situation where although safety had been reduced, there had been no risk of collision."
Drone users who flout the height and airport boundary restrictions could face an unlimited fine, up to five years in prison, or both.
The incident comes seven months after a pilot was forced to duck in the cockpit as a passenger plane was "extremely close" to hitting a drone during a dramatic near-miss on its way to land at Leeds Bradford Airport.
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