Overview
- Pilots on United Flight 1513 told air traffic control on Friday that a circular object about three feet wide passed roughly 100 feet below their Boeing 737 as it approached Newark Liberty International Airport and the jet landed safely with passengers deplaning normally.
- Air traffic control audio verified by major outlets captured the pilot saying, “We almost hit a drone,” and a separate United Express/GoJet pilot reported seeing a drone near Newark at about 2,000 feet at roughly the same time.
- The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the crew reported the sighting and said it has opened an investigation into the event.
- The incident highlights a wider safety concern: the FAA logs about 100 reports of drones near U.S. airports each month and recorded 319 pilot-reported sightings through March of this year though pilot evasive action or collisions remain uncommon.
- Lawmakers and agencies are pushing for more integrated rules and counter-UAS technology from Homeland Security and the Defense Department to detect and stop illegal drone flights near airports and to improve enforcement against operators who endanger passenger aircraft.