A JetBlue pilot reported colliding with a drone while attempting to land at John F Kennedy Airport in New York this weekend. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) launched an investigation but said no damage was found on the aircraft.
JetBlue Incident Details
According to a JetBlue spokesperson, the flight landed without incident, customers deplaned normally, and the plane was removed from service for a post-flight inspection, which found no damage or evidence of a collision. The terrifying encounter came just days after another near-miss at Newark Airport in New Jersey.
Previous Near-Miss at Newark
On Friday, a United Airlines Boeing 737 carrying 106 passengers from Key West, Florida, with five crew members on board, was approaching the runway at Newark Airport at around 4:20 pm local time (9:20 pm BST) when it flew over a drone. The pilot told air traffic control: 'We almost hit a drone,' adding the drone was only 'about 100 feet below us.' United Airlines confirmed the sighting and stated that the flight landed safely and customers deplaned normally at the gate. In a separate call, another pilot flying into Newark reported seeing the drone flying at around 2,000 feet.
Frequency of Drone Sightings
More than 100 drone sightings near airports are reported to the FAA every month. Flying a drone in controlled airspace without authorisation is illegal in the US and can be punishable with jail time. In the UK, drone flying is banned within five kilometres of airports since March 2019, when the size of no-fly zones around airports was increased.
Official Response
Then-aviation minister Liz Sugg stated: 'Flying drones illegally puts others at risk both in the air and on the ground, so it’s vital they are used safely. The majority of people using drones want to do so responsibly, so we have expanded a national campaign to ensure they know the rules – and the penalties.'
