A United Airlines flight struck a drone while approaching San Diego International Airport on Wednesday, in a frightening mid-air collision that nonetheless ended safely.
Incident Details
The Boeing 737, operating as Flight 1980 from San Francisco, was at an altitude of approximately 3,000 feet and preparing to land when it hit the unmanned aircraft. The plane carried 48 passengers and six crew members. Despite the impact, the flight landed normally, and passengers deplaned at the gate without incident.
United Airlines confirmed the event in a statement: "United Flight 1980 reported a possible drone strike just prior to arriving in San Diego. The flight landed safely, and customers deplaned normally at the gate. Our maintenance team found no damage after thoroughly inspecting the aircraft."
Crew Account
Audio recordings from air traffic control captured the crew's report. One crew member described the drone as "very small," saying: "It was so small, I couldn't tell. It was red. It was shiny. I couldn't tell with it." The exchange was released by the social media account theATCapp.
Regulatory Violation
Flying drones near airports is illegal under Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations. Drones are prohibited from exceeding 400 feet without FAA authorization, yet the drone in this incident was struck at around 3,000 feet. Additionally, drones are banned from restricted airspace, which includes airport vicinities.
FAA spokesperson Chris Mullooly confirmed to NBC 7 that the agency is investigating the strike.
Previous Incident
In a similar case in March, a drone was confiscated from a man in Charlotte, North Carolina, after he flew it too close to Charlotte Douglas Airport Overlook. The pilot was capturing video for a client’s social media post, according to WSOC. Federal marshals tracked the drone and confiscated it. The drone was airborne for seven minutes, flying between 32 and 100 feet while runways were active. The operator lacked permission to operate in restricted airspace.
