LISTEN: United Pilot Reports Hitting Drone Mid-Flight in Audio Recording

(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

A United Airlines pilot reported a possible drone strike at 3,000 feet on Wednesday, according to an eye-opening air traffic control audio.

United flight 1980 departed San Francisco International Airport on Wednesday morning, and the pilot told the tower he had possibly “hit a drone.”

“I believe I just saw like a red, small object, about 1,000 feet below us to our right,” the pilot said.

“United flight 1980 reported a possible drone just prior to arriving in San Diego. The flight landed safely, and customers deplaned normally at the gate. Our maintenance team found no damage after thoroughly inspecting the aircraft,” United Airlines said in a statement to KTLA.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) also released a statement, acknowledging the incident and saying there were no other reports of drone sightings by pilots the rest of the day.

“While approaching San Diego International Airport at about 4,000 feet altitude, the crew of United Airlines Flight 1980 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,” they said.

The FBI in San Diego said they are “evaluating” the situation.

“While our policy is to neither confirm nor deny investigations, we are working closely with our law enforcement partners to evaluate the situation,” they said. “If there is a violation of federal law within the FBI’s authorities, we will follow the facts wherever they may lead. As this is an ongoing matter, we do not have anything further.”

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