The front of the Air China Boeing 757 was pushed in and scratches and scraped paintwork were clearly visible when it landed. However, no one was injured in the mysterious accident. The plane was flying from Chengdu to Guangzhou and was at 26,000 feet when a lough thud was heard from the front of the aircraft.
The pilot said after the collision it became difficult for him to control the aircraft and he immediately called air traffic controllers, according to reports. He was then given permission to return to the airport.
Experts said investigations into the collision have raised suspicions that the aircraft was hit by a "foreign object". They do not believe it was caused by a bird strike as no blood or feathers were seen on the dented nose cone. The damage was only noticed only when the plane safely landed.
Meanwhile, the mystery behind the "foreign object" has led online speculation that the plane might have collided with a UFO or a drone. Other theories posted on the Aviation Herald include pressure from rapidly heated and expanded air.
Former government UFO investigator Nick Pope told The Sun an examination of the nose cone should reveal what hit it. He said traces of whatever collided with the aircraft should be visible.
However, he questioned whether the "secretive" Chinese would reveal the cause. Pope told The Sun,"Cases like this show whatever people believe about UFOs, there are serious air safety issues here. MoD and CAA files contain dozens of reports of near misses between UFOs and commercial aircraft. It's only a matter of time before there's a catastrophe."
Last week, it emerged that three passenger jet pilots saw UFOs above Britain's Scientology headquarters on their approach to Gatwick Airport. A report revealed that they each saw "two flat, silver discs", with some flying within 100ft.
