United Airlines pilot from SFO reports possibly hitting drone

United pilot from SFO reports possibly hitting drone

A United Airlines pilot who took off from San Francisco International Airport early Wednesday called in to say it seemed like he hit a drone in the sky en route to San Diego. 

SAN FRANCISCO - A United Airlines pilot who took off from San Francisco International Airport early Wednesday called in to say it seemed like he hit a drone in the sky en route to San Diego. 

Possible drone strike

In an email, United said that the pilot from Flight 1980 reported a "possible drone strike" just prior to arriving in San Diego at about 3,000 feet during its approach. The audio of his call was captured on the social media account, theATCapp. 

Safe landing

What we know:

United said the 737 landed safely, and 48 passengers deplaned normally at the gate. The airline said its maintenance team found no damage after inspecting the plane. Six crew members were aboard. 

The Federal Aviation Administration said it was aware of the report and "is investigating." 

Pilots are not allowed to operate drones above 400 feet altitude unless they have specific FAA authorization. 

Drone pilots also must avoid restricted airspace, including the airspace around airports.

According to the FAA, drone operators who fly unsafely or without permission can be fined up to $75,000 per violation. 

What we don't know:

It's unclear exactly what the pilot hit, though he described it as "small," "red," and "shiny." 

What they're saying:

Former KTVU anchor, Ken Wayne, is a pilot and founder of flyingtails.org – a nonprofit animal rescue organization. He said to have a drone at 3,000 to 4,000 feet is "very scary."

"The pilot didn't know it was up there; nobody knew it was up there. So, something went wrong," Wanye said. 

Again, we don't know what the investigators have determined. 

"If he had hit the drone, he probably would have declared an emergency with approach control and say I've hit a drone or I've hit something, I'm declaring an emergency," said Rich Martindell a former Air Force accident investigator. "All that does is gives him priority to land. They have to do whatever he wants that gets him in position to land." 

Aviation attorney and pilot Mary Schiavo is a former U.S. Department of Transportation Inspector General.

She said while drones aren't supposed to go above 400 feet, there is no exception to the fact that they cannot be flown around airports, in flight paths or in any controlled airspace. "That is simply forbidden, again, unless you have special permission from the Federal Aviation Administration," she said. "And the unfortunate thing is with the drone, we have almost no way to enforce those. I really just hope that the answers don't come after a disaster." 

"A drone through a windshield could be fatal; could bring the entire plane down. A drone going through an engine could bring a plane down. A drone hitting a propeller could bring a plane down," said Wayne.