Jet came with 100 metres of colliding with glider in Suffolk skies
A glider and a jet plane came close to colliding over Haverhill. Pictured: A tug aircraft tows a glider up into the sky. - Credit: DENISE BRADLEY
A plane and a glider came within 100 metres of colliding in the skies over Suffolk, a report has found.
The near-miss between a Falcon 2000 jet and a Glasflugel Mosquito glider came on September 5 last year, just north of Haverhill.
According to the UK Airprox Board, the two missing each other was "entirely serendipitous".
The near-miss was classed as category A — the highest grade of risk.
In the report, the pilot of the Falcon 2000 said "there was no time, nor need, to take any avoiding action" as the plane's speed meant the threat of collision was over within seconds.
The glider pilot said "they spotted, in the corner of their eye, an aircraft passing to their right, coming from behind them and travelling very quickly".
Concluding the report, the UK Airprox Board said: "The board concluded that a serious risk of collision had existed because the separation that had been present had been entirely serendipitous".
