The Federal Aviation Administration has launched an investigation into yet another incident involving an unmanned drone and a commercial jetliner.
According to NBC New York, a Shuttle America flight arriving at New York's LaGuardia Airport experienced a close encounter with a drone near Brooklyn's Prospect Park prior to landing on Friday morning. Officials said that Flight 2708 was on its way to LaGuardia from Washington, D.C. when the pilot spotted the drone and ascended 200 feet to avoid making contact.
Fortunately, the flight landed safely at LaGuardia.
Adding to the concern, though, Friday morning's near miss occurred just hours after multiple commercial flight pilots reported seeing a green laser being shined into their cockpits over Long Island, New York, shortly after departing from nearby John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Officials are currently investigating those reports.
Despite it being illegal to operate unmanned drones in the close vicinity of airports, there have been multiple reports similar to this one in the past.
In addition to New York, pilots of commercial flights arriving in Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles have reported seeing drones in their flight paths within the past few months.
Earlier this year, New York senator Chuck Schumer called for federal action on the drone issue, and in February, the White House announced plans to regulate commercial drones. Nonetheless, a finalized set of rules regarding drone use is likely years away.
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