British Airways Boeing 777 Avoids Mid-Air Crash With Mysterious Object the 'Size of Four Toasters'

A Boeing 777 pilot reported a close encounter with an unidentified object after departing Heathrow in June 2026 (Credit: Mailo86, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0/Wikimedia Commons)

A Boeing 777, identified in media reports as a British Airways aircraft, encountered an unidentified silver object above Surrey on 24 June 2026. The pilot reported that it passed just 50ft above the jet during its departure from Heathrow. Aviation investigators later classified the encounter as a serious collision risk.

The incident happened at 12.08pm UTC, approximately four nautical miles north-east of Guildford. According to the UK Airprox Board, the aircraft was climbing towards 6,000ft when the pilot spotted something approaching near the right wing.