JetBlue pilot reports plane possibly struck drone while landing at JFK
A JetBlue pilot reported their plane possibly struck a drone at 3,000 feet while on final approach to John F. Kennedy International Airport on Monday morning.
It happened at around 7:15 a.m. as Flight 948 from Las Vegas was landing at the New York City airport.
"Just quickly, I couldn't talk to approach, but we collided with a drone back there in the turn," the pilot tells the tower on air traffic control audio.
"You said you collided?" the controller says.
"Yep, it hit us right above the cockpit," the pilot says.
The plane landed safely at JFK and all passengers were able to exit the plane normally. An inspection turned up no damage to the aircraft, JetBlue and the Federal Aviation Administration said. The airline said it will assist the FAA with the investigation.
Aviation expert Pete Trabucco said though the plane escaped unscathed, if the drone had went into an engine it might have been a different story.
"That's equivalent to a bird strike. That engine will be knocked out," Trabucco said.
Not the only mishap at JFK on Monday
On Monday afternoon, a helicopter pilot reported seeing a remote control airplane fly near his aircraft.
"Almost ran into a gigantic RC airplane right over there at Floyd Bennett," the pilot told air traffic control.
It all comes on the heels of an incident on Friday, when a United Airlines pilot reported that his flight nearly struck a drone while it was preparing to land at Newark Liberty International Airport.
"People are just taking out their drone and they're not really getting into the nitty-gritty of what it means to be able to fly one of these things," said Edward Kostakis, co-founder and head of aerial operations for Xizmo Media, a Brooklyn-based company that specializes in drone cinematography.
He says what's causing the problem is software updates that give pilots more freedom in the sky.
"I think that it really is time for all the drone manufacturers to start to get together and reinstall a lot of these safety features into their applications because it is very important. It'll take care of a lot of the problems that are going on now," Kostakis said.
What the laws say regarding drones in restricted airspace
Recent data suggests drone operators aren't heeding the warnings, with the FBI reporting at least 26 drone seizures at FIFA World Cup fan events in New York City this month. Federal agencies reported an additional seven drones seized near MetLife Stadium.
"There could be jail time. There are strict fines set up by the FAA on things like this and something like that should not be flying that high, end of story," Trabucco said.
Flying a drone in restricted airspace in New York City can result in federal state and local penalties and fines that range from $250 to $20,000, and in some cases could result in prison time.
For more information regarding the use of drones from the FAA, click here.
