Pilot On Flight From Chicago To Miami Encounters Drone Before Landing
(CBS) -- It's not what any pilot wants to see: a drone in the plane's path. It happened Wednesday to a flight from Chicago heading to Miami.
CBS 2's Dana Kozlov reports the pilot saw the unmanned flying object seconds before landing.
Calm and collected, the American Airlines pilot let's air traffic controllers know the drone is in his path.
It happened around 11:10 Florida time Wednesday morning, as the Boeing 737 from Chicago was about a mile from the end of the Miami runway. After pilots reported it, police began searching for the drone and its operator, with no luck.
Ed Stack is a former Air Force pilot and currently flies the same plane for American Airlines.
"It could have been my route today," he said.
Stack says the Miami-bound pilot did exactly what he was supposed to do, adding a jet versus drone collision would be bad but likely not deadly.
"I think the drones that are out there right now would do damage to an airplane but probably not bring it down," Stack said.
Stack says drones are not supposed to fly within five miles of an airport.
An American Airlines spokesperson says there were 114 people on board that flight. There were no injuries.