A Farnham woman had a near miss when ice from a plane crashed onto her house just six feet from her.

Lucy Wills from Boundstone “jumped out of her skin” on Monday, April 8, when the ice fell from the plane and hit the roof, cracking a tile, before falling to the ground.

Lucy said: “I was outside and heard something like gunshot as a lump of ice came from the sky and smashed into the roof. It must have been falling at great velocity to make that sort of noise. It splintered and pieces fell onto the road.”

Lucy contacted the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to ask them to investigate the incident which she believes could have been prevented by good plane maintenance. The CAA responded that it regulates UK aircraft operators but not foreign ones. However, it does record incidents such as this one so that it can monitor trends and take action if necessary.

This is not the first time Lucy has contacted the CAA as she is concerned about increased local air traffic, following changes to Farnborough Airport’s airspace in 2020. This has allowed more flights in the area with jet planes coming in tighter and lower. 

“There used to be around 20 flights a day overhead but now there are about 10 an hour. There are two light aircraft paths over my house and an international flight path half a mile away which from the sound perspective is almost as if it is overhead. Planes are going over much lower than they used too so there is vibration as well. The jets have a high-pitched whine which is like nails down a blackboard. One 747 was so low that I could read the numbers on its side.”  

The airport has subsequently applied to increase the number of planes from 50,000 to 70,000 a year and Lucy would like the consultation on the impact of the expansion to be extended. “They need to set up monitoring stations – I would willingly have one at my house. I am worried about pollution and noise.”

Farnborough Airport has been contacted for comment.