Fears For Airline Passenger Safety : TWO Commercial Planes Come Within 100 Feet Of DRONE While Landing At JFK Airport ~ THE 5TH ESTATE ASIA

Monday, August 03, 2015

Fears For Airline Passenger Safety : TWO Commercial Planes Come Within 100 Feet Of DRONE While Landing At JFK Airport

Monday, August 03, 2015

FAA, Congress will be held responsible for the first mid-air collision with an airliner and the resulting deaths as they have had more than enough warning and time to BAN ALL DRONES FROM U.S. SKIES

AGENCIES
By Sophie Jane Evans
08/01/2015

NEW YORK —

A drone flying near one of the nation’s busiest airports came within 100 feet of a commercial flight on Friday, according to audio from the flight’s radio calls.

Shoot them down: Shoot the operators, shoot the

manufacturers, shoot the developers

Delta Flight 407 was preparing to land at John F. Kennedy International Airport when the cockpit reported spotting the drone below its right wing.

The flight, which had 154 people on board, landed safely and the FAA is investigating the incident, according to a statement issued by Delta Airlines.

Experts have expressed fear for plane crews' and passengers' safety after two commercial jets came within 100 feet of a drone while landing at New York's John F Kennedy International Airport.

JetBlue Flight 1843 reported seeing a drone as it approached the airport at an altitude of around 800 to 900 feet at 2.24pm on Friday, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The pilot told the control tower that the unmanned aircraft had passed just below the plane's nose.

Less than three hours later, Delta Flight 407, carrying 154 passengers back from Orlando, Florida, spotted a drone flying just 100 feet below its right wing as it approached the runway at 5pm.

Done operators responsible for accidents resulting in death should receive mandatory death sentences

It is unclear whether it was the same drone as the one reported by the JetBlue flight. Neither plane needed to take evasive action and both of the flights landed without incident, officials confirmed.

Unmanned aircraft are not supposed to fly above 400 feet. Operators must not fly within five miles of an airport unless they 'contact the airport and control tower before flying', the FAA says online.

On Saturday, aviation experts expressed concern that the drone(s) seen near the Queens-based airport on Friday could have had fatal consequences for both the planes' crew and passengers.

Potentially fatal consequences: Phil Derner of

NYCaviation.com said a drone can get sucked

into a plane engine and "destroy it"

Phil Derner, the owner of of NYCaviation.com, told CNN affiliate WPIX: '[A drone] going into an engine can destroy an engine. Going into the cockpit window can injure a pilot or even kill a pilot.' According to ABC, the FAA now reports an alarming 25 incidents involving drones and piloted planes every month.

Also on Saturday, a recording emerged capturing the moment the pilot of the Delta plane realized his aircraft had come within 100 feet of a drone while it was approaching JFK Airport at an altitude of around 1,700 feet.

In the recording, from Live ATC.net, a control tower official says: 'Delta 407.'

In response, the pilot says: 'Yeah. About a mile back there was a drone flying just on the south-west side of this abandoned airport here.'

The official responds: 'At what altitude did you say that was?'

The pilot replies: 'I'd say about 100 feet below us. Just off right wing.'

'Roger,' the official says, adding: 'Any chance you get the color or type?'

The pilot remarks: 'No its not close enough to be able to tell.'

Tower officials then warned other planes, including the JetBlue aircraft, that the Delta plane ahead of them had spotted a drone flying above Floyd Bennett Field - and told them to 'use caution'.

Within Floyd Bennett Field, in Gateway National Recreation Area, there is an area where those with permits may fly drones, a park ranger told CNN. However, they should still abide by FAA laws.

Many passengers on Delta Flight 407 were families returning from Walt Disney World in Florida.

An investigation has been launched into the two drone sightings on Friday.

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a second drone sighting near Kennedy Airport on Friday afternoon, the agency said Saturday.

JetBlue Flight 1834, an Airbus A320 that was approaching Kennedy on its way north from Haiti, reported seeing a drone just before landing at 2:24 p.m. Friday.

The FAA said the pilot did not take evasive action, and the flight landed safely.

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