Federal aviation officials are probing a rare and potentially serious incident in which the pilot of a United Airlines flight reported what may have been a mid-air drone strike while on final approach to San Diego International Airport (SAN) on Wednesday morning. The report has renewed concerns about the increasing risk of unmanned aircraft in controlled airspace near commercial airports.
The flight involved United Airlines Flight 1980, a Boeing 737 that had departed San Francisco International Airport (SFO) early Wednesday morning, bound for San Diego. As the aircraft was descending toward its destination, the flight crew informed air traffic controllers that they believed the jet had made contact with a drone or drone-like object at an altitude near 3,000 feet above ground level, far above the maximum altitude legally permitted for recreational drones.
In an audio transmission from the cockpit, the pilot reportedly told ground controllers:
“We hit a drone probably at around 3,000 feet… red drone heading west.”
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the sighting may have occurred at about 4,000 feet, and controllers immediately notified other pilots in the vicinity, though no other reports of drones were received.
Despite the mid-air encounter, Flight 1980 landed safely at San Diego International Airport with 48 passengers and six crew members onboard.
After the shutdown, United Airlines said that maintenance crews conducted a thorough post-flight inspection of the Boeing 737 and found no visible damage to the aircraft.
The FAA confirmed it is aware of the pilot’s report and is investigating, though it has not released further details about what exactly occurred or whether any object was recovered.
In addition to the initial strike report, audio circulating on social media shows the pilot earlier asking air traffic control whether there had been any other drone reports in the area. In response, controllers indicated they were not aware of any.
The pilot described the object as small, red, and shiny, and indicated it was moving westward, but was unable to provide precise identification beyond these descriptive details.
The flight involved United Airlines Flight 1980, a Boeing 737 that had departed San Francisco International Airport (SFO) early Wednesday morning, bound for San Diego. As the aircraft was descending toward its destination, the flight crew informed air traffic controllers that they believed the jet had made contact with a drone or drone-like object at an altitude near 3,000 feet above ground level, far above the maximum altitude legally permitted for recreational drones.
In an audio transmission from the cockpit, the pilot reportedly told ground controllers:
“We hit a drone probably at around 3,000 feet… red drone heading west.”
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the sighting may have occurred at about 4,000 feet, and controllers immediately notified other pilots in the vicinity, though no other reports of drones were received.
Despite the mid-air encounter, Flight 1980 landed safely at San Diego International Airport with 48 passengers and six crew members onboard.
After the shutdown, United Airlines said that maintenance crews conducted a thorough post-flight inspection of the Boeing 737 and found no visible damage to the aircraft.
The FAA confirmed it is aware of the pilot’s report and is investigating, though it has not released further details about what exactly occurred or whether any object was recovered.
In addition to the initial strike report, audio circulating on social media shows the pilot earlier asking air traffic control whether there had been any other drone reports in the area. In response, controllers indicated they were not aware of any.
The pilot described the object as small, red, and shiny, and indicated it was moving westward, but was unable to provide precise identification beyond these descriptive details.
