United flight from San Francisco to San Diego reports drone close call near arrival

By Carlos E. Castañeda

A United Airlines flight from San Francisco reported a close call with a drone as it neared arrival in San Diego on Wednesday, authorities said.

A United spokesperson said Flight 1980 reported a possible drone strike just prior to the arrival at SAN. The flight landed safely, and customers deplaned normally at the gate, the spokesperson said. 

“Our maintenance team found no damage after thoroughly inspecting the aircraft,” the spokesperson told CBS News. 

The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that Flight 1980 was at about 4,000 feet when the crew told air traffic control they believed they saw a drone 1,000 feet below them.

“Air traffic control alerted other pilots but did not receive any additional drone-sighting reports,” the statement said. 

The Boeing 737 was carrying 49 passengers and six crew members at the time.

Operating drones around aircraft and near airports is dangerous and illegal, and drone operators can face criminal charges and jail time. In addition, FAA rules require private drones to stay below 400 feet. According to the FAA, there are over 100 reports of drone sightings near airports every month, most are made by pilots, although drone-aircraft collisions are rare.

Last year, a drone collided with a firefighting aircraft during the Palisades Fire, resulting in damage that grounded the plane. In 2020, a Los Angeles Police Department helicopter struck a drone while responding to a call, forcing an emergency landing. The drone operator was later prosecuted, the first criminal case in the nation in which a person was charged with unsafely operating a drone.

In 2017, a drone collided with an Army Blackhawk helicopter near Staten Island, New York. No one was hurt.