Passenger Plane Collides With Drone at 3,000 Feet

“It was so small I couldn’t tell,” the pilot said of the object. “It was red ... it was shiny.” The incident occurred on the “base leg” of the approach—the point at which a plane flies perpendicular to the runway before turning to land. Minutes before touchdown, the pilot had already radioed Southern California Terminal Radar Approach Control to ask whether a drone was near his position. “Not that I’m aware,” the controller responded. The pilot then reported spotting “a red, small object ... about 1,000 feet below us to our right.” Air traffic control alerted other pilots in the area but received no additional reports. The plane was carrying 48 passengers and six crew members and landed safely. United Airlines said its maintenance team “found no damage after thoroughly inspecting the aircraft.” The FAA said it was investigating. Under federal regulations, drone pilots are prohibited from flying above 400 feet without FAA authorization and must avoid airspace around airports.Read it at https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-04-29/united-airlines-pilot-reports-possible-drone-strike-over-san-diegoRead more at The Daily Beast.