Greg Toppo

USATODAY

Corrections and Clarifications: An earlier version of this article misstated the range of months in which there were 856 reports of “remotely piloted aircraft systems” near airliners and airports.

Police in London were investigating after a British Airways flight approaching Heathrow Airport on Sunday afternoon struck an object believed to be a drone.

The airline said the Airbus A320 landed safely and was cleared for its next flight.

If confirmed, the alleged drone strike was believed to be the first incident of its kind in the United Kingdom, the BBC reported.

Senate debates contentious provision against state drone laws

Police said the Airbus pilot reported that a possible drone struck the front of the airplane, but that no arrests had immediately been made.

The flight, which originated in Geneva, was carrying 132 passengers and five crew members, British Airways said. In a statement, the airline said the plane "was fully examined by our engineers" before being cleared for its next flight.

“Safety and security are always our first priority and we will give the police every assistance with their investigation,” the airline said.

Steve Landells, a flight safety specialist for the British Airline Pilots Association, told The Telegraph that it was "only a matter of time before we had a drone strike given the huge numbers being flown around by amateurs who don't understand the risks and the rules."

While most drone pilots fly the devices safely, he said, "much more education of drone users and enforcement of the rules is needed to ensure our skies remain safe from this threat."

In March, the pilots' association said that while the threat of bird strikes had been well researched, there was little data about how much damage a drone could cause, the BBC reported. The UK Air Proximity Board, which investigates near-miss incidents in UK airspace, said there had been a number of serious near-misses at airports involving drones.

FAA to consider report on micro drones

In January, the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which represents about 260 airlines in more than 117 countries, warned that drones flown by the general public are "a real and growing threat" to civilian aircraft. IATA noted that from January 2013 to June 2015, there were 856 reports of "remotely piloted aircraft systems" near airliners and airports. Nearly 90% of the reports were from North American sources, the group said. It noted just one suspected and one confirmed collision.

Drones are not supposed to fly higher than 500 feet or within five miles of an airport, but in the USA, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) receives about 100 reported sightings a month from aircraft.

From Jan. 1 to Aug. 9, 2015, the FAA said, pilots from a variety of aircraft reported 650 drone sightings, compared with 238 sightings in all of 2014.

In February, the FAA said the number of drones potentially flying in U.S. skies had eclipsed the number of piloted aircraft. More than 325,000 people registered their drones under a program announced last December.

Chesley Sullenberger, the retired US Airways captain who landed a jet on the Hudson River in 2009 after geese knocked out both of the plane's engines, has told USA TODAY about the need to prevent drones from colliding with airliners.

"The sheer numbers concern me, as they increase the risk of a collision and it is likely that the actual number of drones is much greater than the number registered," Sullenberger said.

He said drones with hard batteries and electronics worry him more than lighter, softer birds.

"It could do great damage and could be catastrophic," said Sullenberger, now a safety consultant and author.

Contributing: Bart Jansen, USA TODAY. Follow Greg Toppo on Twitter: @gtoppo