A United Airlines flight crew reported a near-collision with an unauthorized drone while on approach to Newark Liberty International Airport on Friday. The incident occurred at an altitude of approximately 2,000 feet, according to initial reports.
Flight crews on a second aircraft operating in the same airspace reported a similar sighting during the same period. The Federal Aviation Administration is currently investigating the incident to identify the source of the unauthorized unmanned aerial system.
This event underscores the persistent challenge of unauthorized drone activity within major terminal areas. Despite federal regulations restricting drone flights near airports, such occurrences remain a recurring safety concern for commercial operators. Current detection and mitigation technologies often struggle to track or neutralize small, agile hobbyist drones in dense metropolitan airspace, leaving flight crews with limited options when an encounter occurs.
The FAA continues to track these reports as part of broader efforts to secure controlled airspace. Industry stakeholders remain focused on how improved ground-based radar and localized geofencing solutions might better address the risks posed by non-cooperative drones in high-traffic corridors.