As drone hysteria swept from New Jersey across the Hudson River to New York City on Thursday night, fueled by online reports of nearly a dozen large drones spotted over Queens, a genuine emergency unfolded in the skies above the borough.
The Port Authority and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed that a flight out of LaGuardia Airport earlier in the evening was forced to make an emergency landing at JFK Airport after a bird strike blew out an engine on the aircraft.
American Airlines flight 1722 departed LaGuardia at 7:43 p.m. with a planned destination of Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina when, shortly after takeoff, the pilot reported that a bird had flown into one of the engines, causing it to fail.
At 7:52 p.m., the pilot declared an emergency and diverted to JFK, according to a Port Authority spokesman. The aircraft landed safely on Runway 31L at JFK at 8:03 p.m.
The runway was closed until 8:12 p.m., when the aircraft was able to taxi under its own power toward Terminal 8. No injuries were reported among the 190 passengers and six crew members. However, the right engine of the Airbus A321 appeared to have sustained significant damage, and the FAA will investigate the incident, according to an FAA spokeswoman.
Later in the evening, the reports of drone flights over Queens began to spread online, which were quickly shot down as hoaxes by residents who live along the flight lines into and out of Laguardia Airport who reported it was normal air traffic that stacks up nightly waiting for permission to land. Aries Dela Cruz, the executive director for public information at the city’s Office of Emergency Management, felt compelled to address the drone fears on social media.
NYCEM is aware of unconfirmed reports of drones flying over LaGuardia Airport. We have not received any official reports of drone activity at this time. NYCEM is monitoring the situation and working with relevant agencies to ensure the safety of all New Yorkers.
— Aries Dela Cruz (@AriesNYCEM) December 13, 2024
“NYCEM is aware of unconfirmed reports of drones flying over LaGuardia Airport,” Dela Cruz wrote on X. “We have not received any official reports of drone activity at this time. NYCEM is monitoring the situation and working with relevant agencies to ensure the safety of all New Yorkers.”
He added that “operating drones in restricted airspace, including near airports, is illegal and poses a significant safety risk.”
After additional drone sighting were reported on Staten Island, the Bronx, and Long Island, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on social media that she had launched an investigation on Friday.
“We know New Yorkers have spotted drones in the air this week and we are investigating,” she posted on X. “At this time, there’s no evidence that these drones pose a public safety or national security threat.”
She added that her team is coordinating with federal partners including the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security.
Mayor Eric Adams also took to social media on Friday.
“The NYPD reports that although they have received an increase in drone sightings over the past 48 hours, drone detections have actually remained steady over the past 30 days, suggesting that a significant portion of the reporting is attributed to manned aircraft or commercial hobby drone,” he posted on X. “We are actively investigating the matter in close collaboration with federal, state, and local partners in New York and New Jersey.”
