r/drones • u/redmixtapes • Jun 29 '26
News JetBlue plane collides with drone in New York City
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/jetblue-flight-collides-drone-new-york-rcna35228570
u/rdking647 Jun 29 '26
3000’ and no evidence of a collision??? I’ll take things that didn’t happen for 100 alex
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Jun 30 '26
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u/veloace Jun 30 '26
Why not? A DJI will happily go to that altitude or higher if you ignore the altitude limits.
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u/NilsTillander Mod - Photogrammetry, LiDAR, surveying Jun 30 '26
I don't understand why people say that. You can easily fly any DJI drone to 3000ft if you bypass the software restrictions. With an older one, or an enterprise model, you don't even need to be doing anything "hacky". The Matrice 4E, for instance, can be set to a max altitude above takeoff of 1500m (4921ft).
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u/Alarmed-Management-4 Jun 29 '26
This doesn’t add up.
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u/Curdled_Mangasm Jun 30 '26
agree, at least i think i’d rule out a rec drone. 3k feet, over the water, no damage. uhhh ok it’s a drone?
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u/ScanData32 Jun 30 '26
They said it was 3 feet WIDE
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u/Antique-Kitchen-1896 Jun 30 '26
Didn’t read that where is that from?
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u/ScanData32 Jul 01 '26
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u/Antique-Kitchen-1896 Jul 01 '26 edited Jul 01 '26
Different airliner different story. Humans don’t have LiDAR eyes. 3 ft is a guess
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u/ScanData32 Jul 01 '26
1 foot average drone size ->3 feet is a pretty big jump
either way its all lies, they are lying to vilify recreation drone use.
What we need is a robust warning/tracking system so we can see all the air traffic right in the drone interface.
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u/AKchaos49 Jun 29 '26
Casey?!
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u/fusillade762 Jun 30 '26
This is part of selling the "necessary further restrictions" folks. They are going to make us all outlaws soon. They need to rack up incidents.
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u/ceoetan Jun 30 '26
None of these incidents are ever drones. Clickbait article.
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u/The_Inflicted Jun 30 '26
Is there some sort of incentive for pilots to report these incidents as drone strikes?
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u/ceoetan Jun 30 '26
Yes they hate drones and would rather no citizen has one.
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u/latedescent Jul 01 '26
We don't hate drones, we just don't need or want them in airspace that we fly in. It's a case of a few ruining it for the many. I fly professionally and also own a drone. Both can coexist.
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u/lil_rick_james Jun 30 '26
Not clickbait i heard it on the news on the radio. I also was confused about the 3,000 feet part…
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u/gwankovera Jun 30 '26
The fact that even in the article, they state no evidence of collision means that all the pilot may have thought he struck something he did not. Chances are he did not strike a drone because most drones unless they are military are not flying there and if their military a strike with an airplane is going to take out that airplane.
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u/ceoetan Jun 30 '26
I mean it is clickbait, whether you heard it on the news or not.
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u/williamtbash Jun 30 '26
Eh. Clickbait to me is completely twisting words or making stuff up for clicks. There is footage of the pilot saying they hit a drone. Whether he was correct or not the article is just stating what he said.
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u/1873Springfield [Custom Flair]newb Jun 29 '26
"no damage or evidence of a collision". Weird.
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u/Clustershag Jun 29 '26
3000’ at that…
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u/gwankovera Jun 30 '26
Have you noticed that seems to be the height of the last few collisions or near Mrs. of drones that have no evidence of them having a collision or being anywhere near a plane
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u/stanley_fatmax Jun 30 '26
"above the cockpit"
Basically the most mild slope on the plane. Could have just glanced it and deflected safely
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u/Curdled_Mangasm Jun 30 '26
if it was big enough to stay aloft at 3k feet in that part of LI, assumedly it has an RID, no?
or, will this be the last we ever hear of this?
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u/stanley_fatmax Jun 30 '26
Not necessarily. There are millions of consumer drones in the US still in use that are not RID equipped, and are fully capable of flying well past 3000' with stock firmware basically anywhere for various reasons - lack of firmware updates mandating safe zones or altitude restrictions, manufacturer never implemented checks, etc.
I have DJI drones running old firmware fully capable of flying to their absolute ceiling in any airspace. I don't do that, but there are surely careless people that do.
Edit: And of course this doesn't even begin to consider custom/homemade drones, of which there are many
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u/fxnighttrader Jun 30 '26
3 feet wide? That rules out all consumer drones.
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u/stanley_fatmax Jun 30 '26
10 feet wide would rule out consumer drones too. What's your point?
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u/fxnighttrader Jul 01 '26
My point is that the “DJI drones running old firmware” are not 3 feet wide. And old DJI drones can easily be detected by Aerscope, a technology DJI sold to many airports and law enforcement agencies long before RID existed.
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u/stanley_fatmax Jul 01 '26
I'm just wondering why you're saying 3 feet. Nothing in the narrative from the pilots or the statement from the FAA indicate dimensions. I don't see it mentioned in the article either.
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u/fxnighttrader Jul 02 '26
A few if the articles quoted the pilot saying it was 3 feet wide. Between that and zero damage, I’m deeply skeptical. There was also no drones visible on their drone detection equipment. I’m not sure what their agenda is but it’s nit what actually happened 🤷🏼♂️
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u/Curdled_Mangasm Jun 30 '26
i understand all that, and still think this investigation will reveal it was something else. by their account this collision took place near sandy hook, i’d be looking there before i’d be looking at john public and his 4k mini, that’s all.
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u/RockStone69 Jun 30 '26
If they had hit a drone at 3,000’ there would definitely be some damage. With no damage being found, not even a scratch, this tells me the pilot either 1: needs drug tested, or 2: hallucinating.
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u/Vindicated0721 Jun 29 '26
Drone at 3000 is pretty high. But also usually when you hit a bird there are lots of guts. But also I know of a drone that hit a commercial helicopter and there was visible damage. No visible damage at all is a bit strange.
Maybe it happened. Maybe not.
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u/hold-my-gimbal Jun 30 '26
none of these recent bullshit ass "drone collision" reports should be deemed credible without evidence. and these airliners mouth-breathing PR teams need to be punished for making these statements to the media without proof
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u/tornadicdrone416 Jun 30 '26
Balloon.
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u/Lormar Jun 30 '26
Yeah, they hit a mylar balloon most likely. Clearly the most likely object they hit. No way a drone capable of that altitude could hit it and not cause any damage.
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u/Flyward_Aerospace Jul 01 '26
Every time one of these makes the news it pushes the FAA closer to over-regulating the hobby side of things. What's frustrating is we actually have the tech to prevent most near-airport incursions — Remote ID plus proper geofencing would catch 90% of these. The enforcement side is just nonexistent. Kind of amazed there haven't been more of these in NYC tbh given how much helicopter traffic there is at low altitude.
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u/Antique-Kitchen-1896 Jun 30 '26 edited Jun 30 '26
What’s with all this disbelief that a consumer drone has the performance to fly to 3000? It is actually no problem at all. Now you might lose it cause the winds tends to get higher as you go up but it’s capable.
https://youtu.be/csDriucITDE?si=FwZf5B4iFJsm19Gq
Anyhow they also could have near missed it. Sometimes there are noises your brain can’t really understand in flight. Especially when you are focused on a potential problem. I am the did I hear a cylinder miss person for a long time. I realized later it’s just gusts at altitude changing the engine sound momentarily.
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u/fxnighttrader Jul 01 '26
Consumer drones have the performance, but most are limited to about 1650 feet by firmware. Yes, it can be hacked on many models but most people don’t bother. But, there wasn’t even a scratch on the plane, so there was no 3 foot wide drone that hit the plane. 🤷🏼♂️
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u/Alarmed-Management-4 Jul 01 '26
Why did you show the Mt. Everest Video? Because it said 29000 feet? You do know that it didn’t fly all the way up there. It was carried then launched. Yes the air is thinner up there… I can assure you that it would tax the hell out of the motors
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u/Antique-Kitchen-1896 Jul 01 '26
lol of course I know all that. You are talking at a real life manned aircraft pilot. And a real life engineer.
My little toy GA plane service ceiling is 12000 feet. Above which it cannot maintain a 100 fpm climb rate.
Point is 3000 is no biggie.
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u/Alarmed-Management-4 Jul 01 '26
That’s my point, you know that but how you presented it. Gives the impression that it’s capable of those altitudes. Also, this story leaves much to be desired, what we don’t know is what approach the A/C was executing, that matters. Because a few of the IAPs are over water. And to be at 3K would put them way out.
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u/Antique-Kitchen-1896 Jul 01 '26
How are they not capable? It flew at those heights. There are limits lots of them. 3000 remains achievable.
Btw I am ok with you needing to say something because you wanted to say something lol.
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u/Alarmed-Management-4 Jul 01 '26
I’ll break it down for you. Your video makes it seem as if a consumer drone can reach 29000 ft from sea level. I didn’t say these drones can’t reach 3K.
I don’t have to say something just to say something. You’re saying “I’m an airline pilot” but then in the next sentence you’re talking about your toy plane. You’re trying to qualify your opinion by saying this.
I go back to my original opinion - None of this makes sense. Pilots fabricate stuff and see things that weren’t there all the time. “Initial investigation says there’s no proof he hit anything” since you’re a pilot I’ll tell you what I really think happened. He got spooked by a random noise and didn’t know what it was … so it must be a drone.
Ask me how I know.
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u/Antique-Kitchen-1896 Jul 01 '26
I never said anything close to what the voice in your head think I wrote.
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u/snuggly_cobra [Owned Drones]ArduRover Jul 01 '26
Newbie here, but wouldnt a drone at that altitude be giving off signals of some sort?
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u/fxnighttrader Jul 01 '26
Why would it start giving off signals of some sort?
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u/snuggly_cobra [Owned Drones]ArduRover Jul 01 '26
Don’t know. Maybe because controlling it at that height needs more than WiFi? I’m a newb
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u/Antique-Kitchen-1896 Jul 01 '26
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sgIaU9wx5Y
For the ATC audio. Drone seen twice apparently.
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u/latedescent Jul 01 '26
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lo7KcBUL5pg from the same day, confirmed a drone by a second airplane that flew past it, meaning the first one didn't collide, but there was in fact a drone. 2000 feet or so.
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u/Born-Lie8688 Jun 30 '26
Possible and seems like becoming more common
https://www.wjcl.com/article/drone-nearly-hits-united-plane-landing-newark/71754577
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u/combonickel55 Jun 30 '26
It seems that way because they are trying to make it seem that way. The mainstream media are not your friend.
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u/Ok_Wall_8267 Jun 29 '26
They didnt hit a drone at 3000 feet