Plane carrying over 100 people collides with drone while landing

It managed to land safely

Over the weekend, a jetBlue aircraft hit a drone as it was attempting to land at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York.

The aircraft landed safely and an investigation has been launched by the FAA, but no damage was found on the aircraft.

A jetBlue spokesperson said of the reported collision: "The flight landed without incident, customers deplaned normally, and the plane was removed from service for a post-flight inspection, which found no damage or evidence of a collision."

The pilot reported hitting a drone at around an altitude of nearly 3,000ft (900m).

jetBlue plane landing. Credit: Adobe Stock.

As per air traffic control audio recorded by ATC.com, the pilot said: "We are clear to land, 13 left.

"Just quickly, I couldn't talk to approach, but we collided with a drone back there in the turn.

"You said you collided?"

The pilot confirmed: "Yep, it hit us right, right above the cockpit."

In a statement to the BBC, jetBlue said: "The flight landed without incident, customers deplaned normally, and the plane was removed from service for a post-flight inspection, which found no damage or evidence of a collision."

The FAA estimates it receives more than 100 reports of drone sightings near airports every month.

This is in spite of regulations prohibiting flying in these areas.

It would seem that drone activity near airports has become increasingly common in recent times, notably in Europe where airports have been forced to close on multiple occasions.