Preliminary investigation finds no sign JetBlue plane landing at JFK hit a drone, source says
By Alexandra Skores, Pete Muntean, CNN
Washington, DC (CNN) — The JetBlue flight that reported striking a drone on approach to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport on Monday did not actually hit a drone, a source familiar with the preliminary investigative findings tells CNN.
Investigators have found no damage to the passenger aircraft and no evidence of drone activity at the location, altitude and time the crew reported the collision, the source said.
The pilot aboard JetBlue Flight 948 reported the strike at approximately 3,000 feet in altitude while on final approach to the runway around 7:15 a.m. local time, the Federal Aviation Administration told CNN in a statement on Monday.
“We are clear to land, 13 left,” the pilot told the tower in audio recorded by ATC.com. “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.”
The Airbus A321 was arriving from Las Vegas and safely landed minutes later at 7:21 a.m.
The aircraft was just north of the beach community of Sea Bright, roughly 10 to 12 miles away from JFK, at the time of the reported strike, according to data from Flightradar24.
The FAA initially said it was investigating a reported drone strike, and JetBlue later said a post-flight inspection found “no damage or evidence of a collision.”
The Airbus A321 was returned to service after the inspection and has continued operating scheduled JetBlue flights, according to flight tracking data.
The FAA investigation is ongoing, and officials have not publicly said what, if anything, the aircraft may have encountered.
CNN has reached out to the FAA for comment
A helicopter pilot flying from JFK to Manhattan reported another close call later Monday — this time with a model airplane. The FAA tells CNN that the two incidents are not related.
“Almost ran into a giant RC airplane over at Floyd Bennett,” the pilot of the Bell 407 helicopter told the tower at JFK, according to a recording by ATC.com. “It was just like an RC, one of the remote-controlled airplanes. A big one at 500 feet.”
Floyd Bennett Field is a retired naval air station in Brooklyn that now is largely operated by the National Park Service and includes a runway for model airplane hobbyists.
Flight tracking data shows the helicopter was at about 300 feet in the air when traversing the area.
The FAA alerted local authorities about the report, the agency said in a statement.
Drones have, however, hit other aircraft. In January 2025, a civilian drone struck a CL-415 “Super Scooper” battling the Los Angeles wildfires, punching a hole in the wing, forcing the aircraft out of service and leading federal authorities to prosecute the drone operator.
Some other suspected strikes have turned out to be damage from birds or mechanical problems.
Drones are prohibited from flying around airports, however, the FAA receives about 100 reports of sightings a month.
Last week, a United Airlines pilot reported nearly colliding with one as his plane was coming in to land at Newark Liberty International Airport.
Unauthorized operators are subject to stiff fines and criminal charges, including possible jail time, the FAA said.
Drone flights are also often limited around emergency response operations, jails, wildfires and major gatherings, including the current World Cup games.
Law enforcement has seized 500 drones that were in restricted airspace in the tournaments 11 host cities, the Federal Bureau of Investigation announced Monday.
CNN’s Amanda Jackson contributed to this report.
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