United pilot reports drone near miss during Newark landing
A United Airlines Boeing 737 carrying 106 passengers came within 100 feet of a drone while approaching Newark Liberty International Airport on Friday afternoon around 5:20 PM. The pilot reported seeing a circular device roughly three feet wide. A second pilot on a GoJet flight also spotted a drone at about 2,000 feet. The aircraft landed safely with no injuries. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating. Drone sightings near US airports happen roughly 100 times monthly according to the FAA, though actual collisions are rare. This incident occurred as travel volume increased ahead of the Fourth of July holiday week.
Key facts
- United Flight 1513 carried 106 passengers and 5 crew members from Key West to Newark
- Drone was circular, approximately 3 feet wide, spotted 100 feet below the aircraft
- Incident occurred around 5:20 PM on Friday, June 26, 2026
- FAA receives approximately 100 drone sighting reports monthly near US airports
- Through March 2026, there were 319 reported drone sightings by pilots to the FAA
- Only 8 of those reports involved pilots taking evasive action
- Aircraft landed safely at 5:30 PM with normal passenger deplaning
Limits of this briefing
Most coverage draws from the same CNN reporting and FAA data. No articles from right-leaning outlets were found; the incident received centrist and aviation-focused coverage rather than partisan framing.
Sources
- CNN: Drone nearly hits United plane landing in Newark, pilot says Centre
- ABC7 New York: United pilot reports almost hitting drone while landing at Newark Airport Centre
- Travel and Tour World: Newark Liberty Airport: United Airlines Flight in Terrifying Drone Near-Miss Centre
- La Voce di New York: Newark Near-Miss Exposes Why Drones are Catastrophic to Jet Engines Left
- The Mirror: United Airlines plane in near miss with drone at Newark Airport Centre