FAA reports show near misses with drones
Near misses between drones and aircraft are a growing concern.
The report tells stories of drones near helicopter ambulances, buzzing under the noses of airliners and getting close to smaller planes. At times, out-of-control drones hit bystanders. And in several incidents, drones were spotted in the proximity of the White House.
The number of drone reports will more than triple this year. The agency recently reported that there were 238 drone spottings by pilots in all of 2014, but this year, there have been 650 as of the beginning of August. Alarmed, the agency has frequently warned that operating drones around airplanes and helicopters is dangerous and illegal. Here are some examples reported to the FAA:
- Drone near a helicopter ambulance: On Nov. 13, at 4:44 p.m., a drone was spotted off the right side of a Mercy Air Helicopter (an ambulance) in Las Vegas, traveling at 2,800 feet.
- Drone over a home: At 6:58 p.m., Nov. 14, a Scottsdale, Arizona, resident reported a drone with “multiple lights” flying 100 feet above his home.
- Drone hits man watching the sunset: Keysnews.com in Florida reported that a drone used in recording a wedding malfunctioned on Nov. 15, and a man who had been watching the sunset was hit in the back of the head.
- Drone near airliner: At 5:10 p.m. on Nov. 18, JetBlue Airways reported a possible drone flying under an airliner's nose as it was heading toward LaGuardia Airport in New York.
- Drone in tree near White House: At 5:11 a.m. on Jan 26, 2015, a drone was found in a tree inside the security perimeter of the White House in Washington.
- Drone in vicinity above White House; military jets scrambled: At 12:18 p.m. on April 13 military jets were scrambled after a drone was spotted in the vicinity of the White House. (Shortly afterward, the alert was canceled.)
- Drone above nuclear power plant: At 3:58 p.m. May 15, employees at the Maine Atomic Power Co. in Wiscasset spotted a drone about 400 feet overhead, “going back and forth.” The police were called, but the drone operator was not located.
- Drone buzzes by small aircraft: At 11:31 a.m. on June 20 over Groton, Connecticut, the pilot of a Piper made a hard left turn to avoid a silver drone flying at 5,200 feet.
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