Reports of unauthorized drone briefly pause flights operations at DC airport in highly restricted airspace
Flight operations were briefly paused at Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., Wednesday night after pilots on two separate aircraft reported a drone flying over the runway and a taxiway, according to authorities and air traffic control recordings -- an alarming development because of the sensitivity of the highly restricted airspace.
“We saw like a drone or something that went flying by, probably halfway down the runway on final,” the pilot of American Eagle Flight 5128 told air traffic controllers around 8 p.m.
Another pilot on a nearby runway also reported spotting something that appeared to be a drone.
“I saw a light that I thought might have been a drone too,” a Vista America pilot said.
In a statement to ABC, the Federal Aviation Administration said it “briefly paused departures at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport for about 20 minutes after two flight crews reported seeing a drone near Runway 19.” The agency said local and federal authorities were notified.
The FBI told ABC News, "While we do not have a comment on specific incidents, the FBI works with our federal and local law enforcement partners to detect, track, and investigate illegal drone activity that could potentially threaten aviation safety, critical infrastructure, or public safety."
It is unclear if a drone was located in the area.
"While we do not have a comment on specific incidents, the FBI works with our federal and local law enforcement partners to detect, track, and investigate illegal drone activity that could potentially threaten aviation safety, critical infrastructure, or public safety. Anyone who observes unsafe or improper use of a drone should report it to the FBI tipline at 1-800-CALL-FBI or tips.fbi.gov.
The report of a drone is alarming as Washington, D.C., has the most restricted airspace in the nation and GPS technology in drones adds a geofence around the Washington airspace.
Drones, or unmanned aircraft systems, either won’t lift off the ground or their propellers won’t spin if there is an attempt to operate one in the D.C. airspace. In order for a drone to fly in the airspace, it would need to have special authorization from the FAA or have been tampered with.
Though unauthorized drone operations are prohibited near airports as they pose safety risks to planes, drone reports are not uncommon, and the FAA says it receives more than a 100 reports of drone sightings near airports every month.
Those operating a drone in a restricted area could face fines and criminal charges, including possible jail time, under federal regulations.
