The number of near-misses between commercial aircraft and drones has increased in recent years, prompting regulators, manufacturers, and lawmakers to react to ensure air travel safety.
This follows the drone hysteria in late 2024, when stakeholders received thousands of reports about drones being sighted across the United States, especially in New Jersey.
Mid-Air Near-Misses With Drones
Photo: S.Galindo | Shutterstock
According to the Associated Press (AP), the number of reports about near-misses midair between commercial and general aviation (GA) aircraft and drones has increased in the past year, with the outlet citing data from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA)
Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS).
The system, which enables pilots, air traffic controllers (ATC), flight attendants, mechanics, and other stakeholders to submit reports when they are involved in an incident where aviation safety was at risk, has at least 1,000 reports about encounters with drones.
For example, in January, a GA pilot reported that their aircraft encountered either a bird or a drone while on approach at Cross City Airport (CTY). A post-flight inspection of the aircraft revealed a three-to-five-inch (7.6 to 12.7-centimeter) hole on top of the left wing and no blood, prompting the two pilots to believe that the impacted object was an unmanned aircraft system (UAS). In December 2024, a pilot of a commercial aircraft landing at Newark Liberty International Airport
(EWR) also reported a drone sighting.
“While on approach for [runway] 22L EWR, we heard the previous aircraft report a drone sighting. As we approached the approximate area, I turned my attention outside, and soon sighted the drone too. The drone was larger than expected, and I easily picked it up for at least 7 seconds prior to [the] closest point of approach. The drone passed about 100 ft above, and 300 ft right of our right wing. No evasive maneuver was required.”
Transparency About Drones
Photo: DOT
On April 17, Sean Duffy, the Secretary of Transportation of the United States, and a former Congressman and a Fox News host, reshared a Fox News segment about drones. Duffy claimed that when drones were flying over people’s houses—including his own—in late 2024, the Biden administration dismissed the incidents as harmless, saying they were just aircraft or children’s drones from nearby. However, Duffy believed they were something more serious.
According to the Secretary of Transportation, drones, which can be hard to spot due to their size, can become weapons that can be used against the US. As such, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
conducted tests for new systems in New Jersey, including surveillance systems, since this was a “national security issue.”
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Hobby Drones, Aircraft, And Stars
Photo: Lukas Beno | Shutterstock
In December 2024, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), FAA, and Department of Defense (DoD) issued a joint statement that read that in the US, there are more than 1 million lawfully registered drones, with the Bureau expecting the number to increase.
The statement added that in late 2024, the FBI had received more than 5,000 reports about drone sightings, with around 100 leads generated. It noted that the federal government had been supporting local officials in investigating the reports about drones. However, the statement said that after closely examining the technical data and tips, the sightings “include a combination of lawful commercial drones, hobbyist drones, and law-enforcement drones, as well as manned fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and stars mistakenly reported as drones.” The agencies concluded that they had not identified anything anomalous, assessing that the alleged sightings had not posed any safety risk over the civilian airspace in New Jersey or other states in the region.
At the same time, there are risks associated with drones flying in civilian airspace globally. In August 2023, there were reports that an Emirates Airbus A380, registered as A6-EOM, could have impacted a drone, with the French Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety (Bureau d’enquêtes et d’analyses pour la sécurité de l’aviation civile, BEA), whose investigation is ongoing, disclosing that the upper part of the number two slat on the right wing was severely damaged. In December 2024, two men were arrested by the Boston Police Department (BPD). The two individuals were allegedly involved in flying drones close to Boston Logan International Airport
(BOS) after a BPD officer specializing in real-time crime surveillance spotted their UAS flying dangerously close to Boston’s main airport.
