JetBlue pilot reports striking a drone while landing at JFK airport

A JetBlue Airways pilot reported striking a drone while on approach to John F Kennedy International Airport in New York, officials said. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the aircraft landed safely and a post-flight inspection found no damage. The agency has launched an investigation into the incident. The incident is the latest in a series of close encounters involving drones and commercial aircraft. Just days before the JetBlue incident, a United Airlines pilot reported nearly colliding with a drone while approaching Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey. The FAA said the JetBlue pilot reported striking a drone at an altitude of nearly 3,000ft (900m) around 07:15 EDT (11:15 GMT). "We are clear to land, 13 left," the pilot said in air traffic control audio recorded by ATC.com, according to CNN. "Just quickly, I couldn't talk to approach, but we collided with a drone back there in the turn." "You said you collided?" the controller asked. The pilot confirmed, "Yep, it hit us right, right above the cockpit." In a statement to the BBC, JetBlue said: "The flight landed without incident, customers deplaned normally, and the plane was removed from service for a post-flight inspection, which found no damage or evidence of a collision." The FAA estimates it receives more than 100 reports of drone sightings near airports every month, despite regulations prohibiting unauthorised drone operations in the vicinity. …