MOSCOW (Sputnik) – According to The Guardian newspaper citing the pilot of the aircraft, the unmanned aerial device was spotted by him immediately after takeoff, but he could not have done anything to avoid it due to its proximity.
"Chance had played a major part" in avoiding a collision, the pilot told a review of the UK Airprox Board, as quoted by the newspaper.
According to the media outlet, the pilot of the drone was never found.
The newspaper claimed that the incident in Liverpool was one of four near-misses involving drones and passenger aircraft recorded by the UK Airprox Board in one month alone.
At least 30 drone incidents reportedly took place across the United Kingdom in 2015, a fivefold increase from the year before.