The pilot of a United Airlines plane on approach to San Diego International Airport on Wednesday morning reported seeing a drone flying around 1,000 feet below the Boeing 737 as he came in for a landing — but he did not strike the drone according to the airline.
The airline initially sent out a statement saying that United Flight 1980 “reported a possible drone strike” just prior to arriving in San Diego. Around 1:30 p.m., United sent out a revised statement that deleted the word “strike.”
“United flight 1980 reported a potential drone prior to arriving in San Diego. The flight landed safely, and customers deplaned normally at the gate. Our maintenance team found no damage after thoroughly inspecting the aircraft.”
The confusion over whether the plane hit a drone or was just near a drone apparently stems from radio communication between the pilot and ground control.
In an audio recording from the cockpit of United flight 1980 from San Francisco to San Diego, the pilot could be heard telling the dispatcher that the plane possibly “hit a drone” at about 3,000 feet.
You can hear the pilot describing the object as “red” and “shiny,” according to the audio recording.
“United flight 1980 reported a possible drone strike just prior to arriving in San Diego. The flight landed safely, and customers deplaned normally at the gate. Our maintenance team found no damage after thoroughly inspecting the aircraft,” United Airlines said in a statement.
The Boeing 737 aircraft landed safely at SAN around 8:45 a.m. A total of 48 passengers and six crewmembers were on board the flight at the time.
(Photo Getty Images)