Britain says object that hit airplane near Heathrow Airport was not drone

British Airways plane collides with drone, lands safely

Incident highlights safety concerns for commercial drones

LONDON – The British government says a British Airways jet reported to have hit an object as it came in to land at Heathrow Airport this month did not strike a drone as first thought.

The pilot of the flight from Geneva reported a collision as the plane was approaching the airport on April 17, and police said it was believed to have hit a drone.

The incident sparked calls for tighter controls on unmanned aerial vehicles.

But Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin told lawmakers Thursday that it is now thought the incident did not involve a drone.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch said it had ended its investigation. It said "we made initial inquiries but there was insufficient information on what object was involved for us to take it further."