MIA-bound American Airlines flight spots drone in its path
As an American Airlines flight from Chicago approached Runway 9 Wednesday at Miami International Airport, the pilot spotted something that shouldn't have been there — a drone.
The approaching plane reported the sighting and Miami-Dade police officers stationed at the airport canvassed to find the pilot of the unmanned device, according to Miami-Dade police.
The search turned up empty.
“An area canvass was conducted with negative results,” police said in a statement.
The flight, carrying 113 passengers, an infant and six crew members, landed safely at 11:18 a.m. and never came in contact with the drone, said American Airlines Corporate Communications Manager Alexis Coello.
In November, Miami-Dade County commissioners unanimously approved a resolution that urged the Federal Aviation Administration to address drone use near airports.
U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Florida and a member of the Senate Commerce Committee, which oversees the Federal Aviation Administration, said in a statement, “Today’s incident is yet another example of the danger drones pose to the traveling public.
“Finding a way to implement the technology needed to prevent this kind of dangerous situation near our nation’s airports will be one of my top priorities as we begin work on a bill to reauthorize the FAA in the coming weeks.”
This story was originally published January 27, 2016 at 9:50 PM with the headline "MIA-bound American Airlines flight spots drone in its path."