Pilot reports drone strike on JetBlue flight at 3,000 feet on JFK approach
A JetBlue Airways pilot reported that a JetBlue Airbus A321 struck a drone while on its final approach to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport on Monday morning, the Federal Aviation Administration said. The aircraft landed safely and a post-flight inspection found no damage or evidence of a collision, the airline said.
The incident occurred as the JetBlue flight was on its final approach to JFK at approximately 3,000 feet altitude, the FAA said. The pilot reported the collision to air traffic control, with audio captured by ATC.com. “We collided with a drone back there in the turn,” the pilot told the controller. “It hit us right above the cockpit.”
The Airbus A321 had departed Las Vegas and was nearing JFK when the pilot reported the incident, according to flight tracking data. The aircraft was in the vicinity of Sea Bright, N.J., roughly 10 to 12 miles from JFK at the time of the suspected strike, according to Flightradar24 data. The FAA said the plane landed safely at 7:21 a.m.
JetBlue said all passengers deplaned normally after the aircraft landed. A post-flight inspection by the airline found no damage to the aircraft and no evidence of a collision, according to JetBlue, meaning the reported strike could not be confirmed through physical evidence. The reported collision comes days after the crew of a separate flight reported spotting a drone on approach to a nearby airport, according to Bloomberg. The FAA is continuing its investigation into the JFK incident.
MSI previously reported that a United Airlines jet struck a light pole on the New Jersey Turnpike during its approach to Newark Liberty International Airport in May, and that a Frontier Airlines plane struck and killed a pedestrian on a Denver International Airport runway during takeoff the same month. The Newark incident is under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board, while the FAA is continuing to examine Monday’s reported drone collision at JFK.