It wasn't a bird. It wasn't Superman. It was a drone.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration's report on the incident, the unmanned aircraft was 20 feet directly "below the nose of the aircraft while [the passenger plane] was descending below the 500 foot" level onto the Golden City's 28R runway.
Some of the safety guidelines include stipulations that drones must fly at or below 400 feet and stay away from static objects; never fly near other aircraft, especially near airports; and, of course, never be flown under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
However, despite the rules, the agency still receives more than 100 reports from pilots, citizens and law enforcement about drone infractions each month. And sadly, there's not much they can do except try to educate the rule-breaking pilots or send police officers out to try and find them.
"Ultimately, it's difficult to understand the scope of the problem even today," Dan Gettinger, co-director for the Center for the Study of the Drone, told the San Francisco Chronicle. "It's not clear how serious of an issue it is even though we see all these reports."
With the number of drones set to increase from 2.5 million to 7 million by 2020 — that's just in the US — aviation officials and drone experts say the situation is at a boiling point.
"All it's going to take is one major fatality and the downside for the industry at large will be incalculable," Chris Carr, drone law expert, told the Chronicle.
With a DC Circuit Court of Appeals knocking down the FAA's attempt to require drone operators to register their toys back in May, it's unclear what steps — other than the education route — the agency could take.
The court said the agency was "exceeding its authority." The FAA responded with a statement suggesting they only wanted to "put registration and operational regulations in place to ensure that drones are operated in a way that is safe and does not pose security and privacy threats."
Since the May defeat, the FAA; the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, which represents commercial drone operators; and the Academy of Model Aeronautics, which represents hobbyists, have launched the "Know Before You Fly" campaign.
"We believe most people want to fly safely and care about safety," Ian Gregor, FAA spokesperson, told the paper. "But many, if not most, drone users have little to no prior aviation experience and might not know what operating safely entails. Drone operators have to understand that as soon as they start flying outside, they are pilots with the responsibility to operate safely, just like pilots of manned aircraft."
