Drone nearly strikes United Airlines jet landing at Newark Airport

Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News on Jun 27, 2026

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NEW YORK — A high-flying drone nearly struck a United Airlines jet landing at Newark Liberty International Airport Friday, authorities said.

The circular-shaped drone, which was about three feet wide, came within 100 feet of the descending Boeing 737 as it made its final approach to the New Jersey airport at around 5:30 p.m., according to radio transmissions between United Flight 1513 and the Newark airport tower.

“We almost hit a drone right there. About 100 feet below us,” the pilot said in his report to the tower.

“Right where you are now?” a tower operator asked.

“Exactly,” the pilot said.

The tower operator asked the pilot if he saw the drone’s color or how many propellers it had.

“It was like a circular shape and that was about it,” the pilot said. “It looked like it was about three feet wide.”

A second pilot flying a GoJet Airlines plane into Newark at roughly the same time also reported seeing a drone at about 2,000 feet above the airport, according to radio transmissions.

A spokesman for United Airlines said that Flight 1513, which was flying in from Key West, Florida, and had 106 passengers and five crew members aboard, landed safely. Travelers exited the plane at an airport gate as normal, the airline said.

It’s illegal to fly a drone in controlled airspaces like airports, but the Federal Aviation Administration says “reports of unmanned aircraft sightings from pilots, citizens and law enforcement remain high.”

“The FAA receives more than 100 such reports near airports each month,” the FAA said “The agency wants to send out a clear message that operating drones around airplanes, helicopters and airports is dangerous and illegal. Unauthorized operators may be subject to stiff fines and criminal charges, including possible jail time.”