Passenger Plane Collides With Drone at 3,000 Feet

A routine landing turned into a tense moment in the sky after a commercial pilot reported a possible midair encounter with a drone just minutes before touchdown.

The pilot of United Airlines Flight 1980 told air traffic control he may have struck a small object while descending into San Diego on Wednesday morning—triggering a federal investigation.

The aircraft, a Boeing 737 arriving from San Francisco, was on the “base leg” of its approach—just before lining up with the runway—when the pilot first grew concerned.

Moments earlier, he had radioed controllers at Southern California Terminal Radar Approach Control asking if there were any drones nearby.

“Not that I’m aware,” the controller responded.

But seconds later, the pilot spotted something.

He reported seeing “a red, small object… about 1,000 feet below us to our right,” before the possible impact occurred around 3,000 feet in the air.

“It was so small I couldn’t tell,” the pilot later said after landing. “It was red… it was shiny.”

Air traffic control quickly warned other pilots in the area, but no additional sightings were reported.

Despite the scare, the plane—carrying 48 passengers and six crew members—landed safely without incident.

After the aircraft touched down, United Airlines conducted a full inspection. The airline later confirmed that no damage was found.

Still, the situation is being taken seriously.

The Federal Aviation Administration has launched an investigation into what exactly the pilot encountered—and whether it was in fact a drone flying dangerously close to a commercial flight path.

If confirmed, it would raise serious concerns about drone safety near airports.

Under federal law, drones are not allowed to fly above 400 feet without special authorization and must stay clear of airport airspace. A drone operating at or near 3,000 feet would be far outside those limits—and pose a significant risk to aircraft.