FAA investigates after JetBlue crew reports drone strike near JFK Airport
A JetBlue plane collided with a drone while attempting to land at John F Kennedy Airport in New York.
JetBlue Flight 948 was flying at around 3,000ft and was approaching the runway around 7.15am local time (12.15pm BST) on Monday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said.
Following the crash, the pilot could be heard telling air traffic control: ‘We are clear to land, 13 left.
‘Just quickly, I couldn’t talk to approach, but we collided with a drone back there in the turn.’
The controller responded: ‘You said you collided?’, to which the pilot said: ‘Yep, it hit us right, right above the cockpit.’
The FAA launched an investigation but said no damage to the aircraft was found.
A JetBlue spokesperson said of the collision: ‘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.’
It was the second drone-related incident in days at airports around New York following a near-miss at Newark Airport in New Jersey on Friday.
The jet was approaching the runway at Newark Airport, New Jersey, at around 4.20pm local time (9.20pm BST) when it flew over the device.
In a call to air traffic control, the pilot said: ‘We almost hit a drone,’ adding the drone was only ‘about 100 feet below us’.
The Boeing 737 was carrying 106 passengers from Key West in Florida and had five crew members on board at the time.
In a statement, United Airlines said: ‘United flight 1513 reported a potential drone sighting prior to arriving in Newark.
‘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 2,000ft.
More than 100 drone sightings near airports are reported to the agency every month. Flying a drone in a controlled airspace without authorisation is illegal in the US and can be punishable with jail time.
In the UK, the flying of drones is banned within three miles of an airport. This has been the case since March 2019, when the size of ‘no-fly zones’ around airports was increased.
Then-aviation minister Liz Sugg said: ‘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.’
Politics Editor
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