United Airlines Flight Encounters Drone Near San Diego
Drone Incident Involving United Airlines Flight
On Wednesday morning, a United Airlines flight reportedly collided with a drone while descending towards San Diego. The Boeing 737, designated as Flight 1980 from San Francisco, was flying at approximately 3,000 feet when the event took place. In audio shared on social media, the pilot communicated with air traffic control, stating, "We hit a drone. At around probably at around 3000 ft, about." When asked for details about the object, the pilot described it as "so small" and noted its red and shiny appearance. Fortunately, there have been no reports of injuries, and initial assessments suggest the aircraft did not incur any damage. Although midair collisions between drones and commercial planes are infrequent, there has been a noticeable rise in reports of such close calls, raising alarms about unauthorized drone operations near airports.
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The incident sparked discussions online, with many questioning how a consumer drone could ascend to that height within regulated airspace. One user remarked, "A red drone at 3000 feet? Doesn't seem like normal consumer hardware," while another commented, "Lol that’s pretty high for a toy." A third user inquired, "What is a drone doing at 3000 feet in US airspace?" The audio exchange was recorded by the ATC App, where a dispatcher asked for more details about the object, to which the pilot replied that it was too small to be identified. According to aviation authorities, confirmed collisions between drones and aircraft are rare, with only seven documented cases globally as of early 2018. However, the frequency of near misses has significantly increased.
Analysis from a news agency indicated that in 2024, drones were implicated in nearly two-thirds of reported near midair collisions involving passenger aircraft at the 30 busiest airports in the United States — the highest rate since 2020, when air traffic was reduced due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Aviation safety experts have consistently highlighted the dangers present in crowded airspace around airports, whether from drones or traditional threats like bird strikes.