United Airlines Flight Has Close Call with Drone at Newark Airport

A United Airlines flight had a close call at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey Friday after pilots reported nearly striking a drone during landing.

The incident happened around 5:20 p.m. as the Boeing 737, carrying 106 passengers and five crew members, was descending toward the airport after a flight from Key West, Florida, United told The Independent Saturday.

"We almost hit a drone," the pilot said in air traffic control audio obtained by CNN. The pilot described the device as circular, about three feet wide, and flying "about 100 feet below us."

Around the same time, the pilot of a United Express flight operated by GoJet Airlines also reported spotting a drone at about 2,000 feet while approaching Newark, the outlet reported.

United confirmed the incident in a statement. “United flight 1513 reported a potential drone sighting prior to arriving in Newark. The flight landed safely, and customers deplaned normally at the gate,” the company said.

The Federal Aviation Administration, which says it receives more than 100 reports of drones near airports each month, is investigating the incident.

Newark Airport is about 15 miles from East Rutherford, New Jersey, where World Cup matches are underway, though there are strict “No Drone Zone" rules on drone activity at the event.

Drone activity near airports continues to be a growing concern. Through March this year, pilots reported 319 drone sightings, but only eight required evasive action, the FAA says. Despite the frequency of reports, collisions remain rare, with just one confirmed crash involving a drone on a runway at San Carlos Airport in California.

The issue is not new in the New York and New Jersey region, either. In March, pilots at both LaGuardia Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport reported multiple unmanned aircraft sightings, according to FAA data. Similar disruptions were recorded in April 2019, when drone sightings near Teterboro Airport, which is about 17 miles from Newark, led to flight interruptions in and out of Newark.

Flying drones near airplanes, helicopters and airports is dangerous and illegal, the agency said. Unauthorized operators can face fines, criminal charges and possible jail time.