By Erika Hernandez
A United Airlines plane reported a possible impact with a drone during Wednesday morning as it approached its destination in San Diego, California.
The aircraft, a Boeing 737 identified as flight 1980, had taken off from San Francisco at 6:53 a.m. (Pacific time) and was at about 3,000 feet altitude when the incident occurred.
The airline told the Daily Mail in a statement that the crew reported a possible “drone strike” shortly before landing. The pilot described the object as “small, red and shiny.”according to communications recorded with retain an eye on air traffic.
Landing without incident and without visible damage
Despite the report, the plane landed safely at San Diego International Airport. The 48 passengers and six crew members disembarked normally.
United Airlines reported that after a thorough inspection, the maintenance team found no damage to the aircraft.
For its part, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) indicated that the crew had detected a drone approximately 1,000 feet below the plane while descending from about 4,000 feet of altitude. However, no additional reports were received from other pilots in the area.
FAA regulations state that drones must not fly above 400 feet without special authorization.in addition to prohibiting its operation in restricted airspace such as around airports.
The incident has raised questions, especially on social media, where users question how a drone could reach an altitude close to 3,000 feet.
Although mid-air collisions between planes and drones are rare, reports of close encounters have increased in recent years. An analysis cited indicates that, in 2024, drones accounted for nearly two-thirds of close proximity incidents with commercial aircraft at the 30 busiest airports in the United States.
Recent history at the airline
The incident occurs weeks after another episode involving United Airlines in California, when a flight had to make an emergency landing at Los Angeles International Airport due to a problem with one of its engines.
In that case, the aircraft returned to the ground without serious casualties, although one passenger was reported with a minor injury.
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