United Airlines Plane Nearly Hits Drone While Landing

A United Airlines aircraft had a near-collision with a drone while attempting to land at Newark Liberty International Airport on Friday.

“We almost hit a drone,” the pilot said.

The pilot described the drone as “circular” and roughly “three feet wide.”

It was “about 100 feet” below the passenger jet.

Listen below:

A United Airlines flight heading to Newark International Airport nearly struck a drone as it was approaching the airport, the pilot reported.

United said in a statement that the plane landed safely and all passengers deplaned normally. pic.twitter.com/XuGXhKRhHa

— CBS News (@CBSNews) June 27, 2026

CNN shared further:

The flight’s crew reported seeing the drone while approaching Newark Liberty International Airport at about 5:20 p.m. ET, the Federal Aviation Administration told CNN. The agency said it is investigating.

The Boeing 737, carrying 106 passengers and five crew members from Key West, Florida, landed safely around 5:30 p.m. ET, with travelers exiting the plane at the gate as normal, United told CNN in a statement.

Another pilot flying into Newark on a United Express flight operated by GoJet Airlines also reported seeing a drone at roughly 2,000 feet, according to air traffic control audio from around the same time.

It comes at a busy time for air travel. The Transportation Security Administration expects to screen nearly 18.7 million travelers at US airport security checkpoints over the Fourth of July holiday week, between June 30 and July 6.

“United flight 1513 reported a potential drone sighting prior to arriving in Newark. The flight landed safely, and customers deplaned normally at the gate,” United Airlines said in a statement.

United Airlines flight almost hit drone '100 feet below us' in scary near-collision at Newark Airport https://t.co/gEMGN8s9b7 pic.twitter.com/GYNKX90H45

— New York Post (@nypost) June 27, 2026

More from the New York Post:

The federal agency receives more than 100 drone-sighting reports near airports each month, which can cause dangerous consequences.

Unauthorized operators are subject to fines and criminal charges, including possible jail time, the FAA warned.

ADVERTISEMENT

This is a Guest Post from our friends over at 100 Percent Fed Up. View the original article here.