Prince William's helicopter 'seconds from drone disaster'

PRINCE William’s helicopter narrowly avoided a mid-air drone disaster.

 It flew within 100ft of a remocontrolled miniature aircraft and was at “high risk” of a collision, an investigation revealed.

The near-miss happened 1,900ft above north London last August. Former RAF Flight Lieutenant William often pilots the Eurocopter 145, but was not in it at the time.

The drone came so close, the crew of two pilots and three medical staff could see the dark, four-bladed “quadcopter”. Ambulance control room staff received an urgent call from the pilot ordering them to call the police.

It is not known who was flying the drone, but it is thought the device was above its permitted height.

The helicopter, codenamed Anglia Two, was flying at 138mph, covering 200ft a second, and the drone was less than 100ft away – making it seconds from impact

The UK Airprox Board gave the incident a “Category A” risk – the highest possible.

It said: “A collision had only been narrowly avoided and chance had played a major part.

“The drone was being operated over a built-up area without Civil Aviation Authority permission.”

An ambulance service spokeswoman said: “We can confirm that a pilot reported a drone in his proximity on August 26, 2016.

“The Duke of Cambridge was not on shift when the drone incident took place.

“There are strict rules that drone operators must follow and it is important they are aware of their responsibilities for safe operations at all times.”

The second-in-line to the throne will step down from his pilot’s post with East Anglian Air Ambulance this summer.