Air Force One had a close encounter with a small drone that flew dangerously close to the president’s plane Sunday night as it approached an air base near Washington, according to reports citing passengers on board.
The Pentagon is investigating the incident.
President Donald Trump was returning to Washington Sunday evening after spending the weekend at his golf resort in Bedminster, New Jersey.
The drone was first seen hovering off the right side of the aircraft while on its descent into Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, reports said.
“We flew right over a small object, remarkably close to the president’s plane. Resembled a drone, though I’m no expert,” tweeted Sebastian Smith, a correspondent with Agence France-Presse who was aboard at the time.
Bloomberg reporter Jennifer Jacobs also tweeted about the episode, echoing Smith’s account that “We came very close to hitting it.”
Air Force One eventually landed safely around 5:54 p.m.
The Federal Aviation Administration immediately referred questions to the Air Force, reports said.
The White House Military Office and the Air Force’s 89th Airlift Wing confirmed the incident in a statement Monday and added that “the matter is under review.”
The flying contraption was yellow and black and shaped like a cross, according to a report by Bloomberg.
Pilots of other aircraft have reported thousands of similar incidents involving drones flying too close or in restricted areas, Bloomberg reports.
The FAA hopes to have new regulations on the books by the end of the year that would require civilian drones to transmit their location and identity, preventing the devices from being used by terrorists, Bloomberg reports.
The modified Boeing 757 carrying Trump on Sunday was one of a fleet of planes that the commander in chief regularly uses; “Air Force One” is just the designation given to whatever aircraft he is actually on at the time.
About the Author
