"We just hit a Drone!" | Windshield Damaged on United B737 MAX at SFO

23/MAR/2024
United B737 performing flight from San Francisco to Denver was on the initial climb when the pilots reported they had probably hit a drone, causing unknown damage and would need to return to the airport.
The FAA later reported: "Aircraft struck a bird on departure damaging the pilot side window"
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[@VASAviation]

The FAA later reported: "Aircraft struck a bird on departure damaging the pilot side window"

[@vitopannucci2001]

Bird, drone, same thing

[@jhsevs]

@@vitopannucci2001the faa concluded it was a bird to avoid some paperwork 😂

[@RobisonRacing68]

Bird... How many documented drone strikes have there been? How many documented bird strikes? Which has the greater possibility? Simple logic.

[@jhsevs]

@@RobisonRacing68 what?

[@VASAviation]

@@RobisonRacing68well, pilots sounded very sure that it had been a drone. The FAA report was released way after I had the video edited, but I gave priority to the LaGuardia incident and that's why I am releasing the video today.

[@jamiesuejeffery]

The problem is that birds never call into tower or use their designated call sign.

[@VASAviation]

Yeah, that's awful attitude from them. Violating airspaces all the time while in formation flights.

[@thazen783]

Was the bird given a phone number to write down?

[@VASAviation]

@@thazen783that bird will never copy a phone number again, I'm afraid

[@Alboalt]

I disagree. Crows always use their caw sign

[@shadowfaxcrx5141]

That's because British Airways stole their callsign and they're trying to avoid confusion.

[@TheAverageFather]

Unarmed bird accused of drone activities. RIP

[@Hubris030]

AI Birds created by the government...again

[@ethanfletcher91]

Birds are government surveillance drones so he’s not entirely wrong 😂

[@chris-hayes]

Coincidence? I THINK NOT. WHY DO THEY SIT ON THE POWERLINES? GUYS THEY'RE RECHARGING THEIR BATTERIES.

[@shadowfaxcrx5141]

Bird now facing steep fines due to not having a part-107 certificate.

[@charlesdorval394]

@@chris-hayes Ah! It all makes sense now!

[@Freedom4Ever420]

Soon, all birds and bats over 250 grams will be required to register with the FAA, and carry a “remote ID” transmitter while flying in controlled airspace

[@dennisrogers9906]

Sounds like a good minimum, Rock Dove, Laughing Gull and up. No bats that big in the U.S., but some flying foxes in Asia would need to be tracked.

[@johanjacobs9240]

🤣

[@DeathBlossom867]

Any animal or object able to jump higher than 24" must activate remote ID prior to jumping, unless they are jumping on AMA-designated basketball courts. Basketball courts require AMA membership in order to play. This is a very fair and not illegal solution that in no way enriches the AMA and DJI.

[@jackielinde7568]

I bet it was the crows. Thos shifty birds can hold a grudge like no other. Wouldn't surprise me someone in GA upset one, and the crows got a hold of a couple of drones to make their grievances known.

[@johnreyn19]

🤣

[@davidabrahammaicolliersint8625]

Tower controller had a lot going on. Incoming emergency, two runway sweeps, wildlife on the runway. Nice work!

[@videoconcord]

and short on staffs at the SFO tell me something about that???????

[@jamesx4952]

March has beef with United airlines

[@muhdiversity7409]

I think that's March has a chicken wing with United.

[@Lanes100]

It's more like SFO plus United

[@RipRoaringGarage]

@@muhdiversity7409 Nah. March has the whole Ol Mcdonald farm with United!

[@joshilini2]

I just hope the holes in this ever growing Swiss cheese do not align for United soon! They have some of the best pilots in the industry though!

[@codemonkey2k5]

Jet Blue, you worried about the drone strike? Nope United took care of it for us.

[@arizonaaviationlive]

I was hoping Jetblue would have reminded ATC that the drone would not survive a collision with a jet.

[@KSparks80]

"Nope. It's dead, Jim."

[@clickster1883]

😂🤣😂

[@martylesmeister2785]

"Unless drones are traveling in flocks, I believe we are in the clear."

[@KC2DZB]

I bet American 1198 wishes he mentioned the wildlife on his climbout!

[@rc24caldwell19]

I thought the same thing....he remained professional, but I'm sure he was saying to himself "Why? Why did I bother mentioning that????"

[@jamesphillips2285]

@@rc24caldwell19 Wildlife is not always alone.

[@beyondinsanitybr]

@@jamesphillips2285 exactly, no wonder it's called Wild

[@RealCadde]

But would you as a pilot want to depart on a runway that has random wildlife running across it? For all you know, they can damage the aircraft so badly that it cannot land safely again. If it were me, i would want the field checked proper before i take off because you don't get second chances after you hit something.

[@lyleparadise2764]

SFO tower: " Seagull 69 you are in class D controlled airspace without a clearance. When you get a chance I have a phone number for you. "............. Seagull 69 : " I'm over the parking lot right now. Is that your freshly washed red car down there? "

[@juliogonzo2718]

"Can you give me a vector to McDonald's?"

[@jacksycz]

I had one of those fuckers in my house last month. Somehow got in the ventilation system and fought its way out.

[@juliogonzo2718]

@@jacksycz that's pretty friggin weird! Buddy of mine had a possum in his garage. Him and his neighbor tried to lure it out with food, and eventually he grabbed it and it bit the shit out of his hand. They were kinda drunk and it seemed like a good idea at the time lmao

[@ronaldhudson169]

@@juliogonzo2718 Rabies is awful, get checked by your doctor.

[@chasesawyer8087]

Maintenance or not, United can’t catch a break 😂

[@muhdiversity7409]

You mean United can't catch a beak ?

[@Elliamy01]

​@@muhdiversity7409 take my angry like

[@BigSkyCards23]

@@muhdiversity7409 Is that not what was said?

[@muhdiversity7409]

@@BigSkyCards23 Read my comment again.

[@BigSkyCards23]

@@muhdiversity7409 🥺🥺🔫

[@WamRebel]

SFO and United is the most cursed combo in aviation

[@hefoxed]

Some stats for context as I got weirdly interested this (and was watching a live stream at SFO a bit after the wheel incident and was like... That's a lot of united planes landing). - united is the third largest airliner at almost 1k planes (with AA being 1, delta being 2) - united is 45% of SFO by seat capacity (next highest is AA at 14% iirc) - SFO is 'only' fifth for amount of United flights, but 2nd for seat capacity x km (aka it tends to have united's longer bigger flights) Aka, if something is going wrong at SFO, a united plane being involved is more likely then other airlines, and if something is wrong with a united flight, it being from or to SFO is fairly likely tho not airport with most united flights. Something I haven't looked into if there's any specifics about the type of planes being flown out/to of SFO that increases the risks of issues (like perhaps age or type). Do larger planes have increased risks for failures due to added complexity? (edit: huh, makes me wonder, do larger planes have increased risks of bird strikes due to increased size or is that likely negligible compared to the size of the sky?)

[@adolforosado]

you forgot the word drone...

[@ro-86alkonost78]

Aviation unholy trinity: 1. Boeing 2. SFO 3. United

[@A.J.1656]

Huh. I thought it was SouthWest and the automobiles driving near airports they land at.

[@JimAllen-Persona]

@@ro-86alkonost78Add BOS. Quadfecta from the 7th circle of hell.

[@manifestgtr]

Man, ever since that ATC argument a couple months back, I can’t help but notice every time I hear a pilot not ending a transmission with the call sign.

[@gankala8]

Same

[@chrisp.creamy9188]

I work at sfo with that airline. Yes, there have been a series of unfortunate events for us. However, im one of the mechs that got debriefed from the pilot upon return. Upon takeoff they saw something grey passing front of the capt window and hit just above the window. There were 2 jumpseaters in the flight deck and all heard a loud metallic thud. Thats how the write up described it. One person mentioned drone and idk why, but that's what they called it in as. Because of the recent news of united sfo, they returned out of abundance of caution. There was no damage to the aircraft, just a streak of blood above the capt window. Paranoia is what happened here. But no harm no foul. Btw go easy on us sfo maint dudes, we're trying lol

[@glyakk]

No foul, but probably was a fowl 🦆Apologies for the cringe joke

[@PiDsPagePrototypes]

No harm no foul? BS. Commercial Aviation is on a tear, blaming Drones for everything they can, so the foul caused is the mainstream media running anti-drone hit peices for clicks and not caring that it's based on a lie. Given lives are at risk, Pilots that can't tell the difference between Birds and Drones, should be getting mandatory Eye Tests.

[@ronaldhudson169]

Better safe than sorry.

[@larryg2705]

"no harm no foul" these events are what change legislation. Just because YOU know that it was a bird, doesn't mean everyone does. A lot of people receive the initial report, and never get the update. Including a lot of our lawmakers.

[@PiDsPagePrototypes]

@@larryg2705 Lets see how long your somment lasts - mine saying the same thing is gone, though I still got a notification of a comment following on after it.

[@t34esq]

"yeaas ma'am, u know we hit one of them bleeding drones"

[@underbird]

Hopefully the bird has complied with the remote id rule.

[@BabyGators]

Absolutely not. But all birds required to comply with ADS-b out by 2025

[@martianvideo]

The cats love that fact@@BabyGators

[@ShaunieDale]

So once again a “suspected drone” turns out be a bird, but is referred to as a drone throughout. It’s reported in this way by the media and once again we take the blame for a non-event.

[@jacquesdemolay2699]

the best name for it would be a UFO (stands for Unidentified Flying Object) and this would cover for bird of unknown species too. In case some people believe UFO means Unbelievable Flying idiot from Outer space.

[@jadesluv]

I have seen drones disguised as birds…

[@andrewdrone]

Yep, sigh.

[@JustinBradleyPhotographer]

Exactly. I was flying at a Riverside Sheriffs event, near a private airport. It was night time, I applied for clearance up to 200ft, was approved but only needed 50ft to film some Christmas lights that lined the driveway leading up to the event. Had told the LEOs what I was planning on doing and they just said, "we don't care at all, we are here to have fun and we appreciate the heads up. I am literally piloting it right in front of a bunch of Sheriffs and am confronted by the party DJ.... He goes off on how they just pulled a drone out of a windshield at the nearby airport where he was a pilot (neither were true). I looked at him and said "are you effing serious bro? You must think I am the dumbest person alive literally flying this close to LEO, yet here I am, do you think that maybe this is a lawful mission and you are creating a hazardous situation?" I went on to explain, that if he didn't back off, I would have one of the nearby LEOs detain him for harassment. He puffed out his chest, acted all self righteous and just kept telling his story, which I later researched and discovered it was just another bird strike. The biggest threats drone pose are to their pilots, as we battle the constant skapegoating and self righteous a holes who harass us constantly. My only mistake was not pressing charges, but that felt rude considering the Sheriffs were having a great time and still need entertainment. Drone pilots, it is a violation of the law to harass anyone, especially someone flying a drone. Please for all of us, take the time to make a verbal warning (if possible record the interaction) and if the person continues to harass you, press charges to the full extent of the law and don't back down for anything. The media will report on it and we may eventually catch a break.

[@rc-fannl7364]

Yeah, and rc hobbyists are required to use Remote ID for anything heavier than 250g, even if it's a basically harmless foam plane that you want to fly on a grass field in your area, where it poses zero risk for manned aviation.

[@todddembsky8321]

Hats off to this channel. I know that blancolirio loves to use you as a source of information. I am always amazed by the professionalism of the Pilots, Control Centers, and Towers. Most normal folks when driving and hit a bird almost crash as the freakout. These pilots did not even raise thier voices and were totally calm in this incident. Thank you so much for allowing us to see and hear what goes on up top behind closed doors. I hope you know that you are a hero to us Luddites and pilots.

[@VASAviation]

Hey, thanks. Appreciate the support!!!

[@BahaaEddine-br1wf]

who would freakout and crash after hitting a bird lol

[@MyTube4Utoo]

The FAA later determined it wasn't a drone strike, but a wheel that had fallen off a Boeing.

[@labourlawact7826]

Nope, it was the MAX that departed ahead of this flight that lost a door plug. One of the bolts smashed the pilot's side window 🙈🙈🙈

[@kens32052]

Bird had his transponder off.

[@gankala8]

JetBlue pilot was a smart man! Departed on time

[@sparkey044]

Blame it on a drone before you investigate.

[@charlestoast4051]

Yes, it was great how the United pilot said "we may have hit a drone" and the female tower operative almost immediately turned this into a definite "they hit a drone", and warned the Jet Blue pilot that there had been a drone strike. Confirmation bias at work, I guess she believes everything she reads and sees on the MSM.

[@NavyVet4955]

😂 was he going to pull over to the side of the air space to get out and check?

[@rc-fannl7364]

@@NavyVet4955 Lol. It's the perception, driven by the media though. Ever since Gatwick (by the way, these "terror drones" still haven't been found and verified to exist) anything that hits a plane, is called a drone by default. Even when it's likely not going to be one, as most rc pilots know well not to fly near an airport, and many popular drones, such as DJI, don't even allow their craft to take off in such condition, due to geo-fencing/Remote ID

[@MrSuzuki1187]

When the controller asked the crew for souls on board and fuel remaining, it meant that the controller had already declared an emergency for them.

[@sizzelot]

why do they always want to know the fuel on board in minutes instead of pounds? Giving pounds would be more precise and avoid calculations while dealing with an emergency wouldn't it?

[@jimsmith9819]

that tells the ATC how long the plane can stay airborne before they have to land@@sizzelot

[@HeidiKohne]

@@jimsmith9819 Correct, and fuel in pounds is for the fire department to know approximately how much potentially could be burning if the plane ends up crashing.

[@wills.5762]

@@HeidiKohne I doubt if the fire dept cares about the fuel in lbs. Pretty easy to look at the size of the plane, determine x minutes means not a lot or a whole hell of a lot of fuel. Beyond that, it doesnt really matter to them how much fuel there is because the procedure doesnt change either way.

[@laserjet37main49]

United and the 737 max just cannot catch a break this year, damn

[@iatsd]

To be fair, the MAX is a fvcking death trap from design to build quality.

[@James-xs9mn]

​@iatsd It really isn't but keep on believing that false narrative.

[@iatsd]

@@James-xs9mn Sorry, which has been grounded globally more often - and for longer - and plunged out of the sky killing all onboard or at least giving that a good try, the MAX or the A320? Look at the numbers and you'll see that the MAX is the most dangerous aircraft in terms of groundings and fatalities of ANY design in the last 25 years. I'm sorry that facts upset you.

[@dennishaldiman6087]

@@iatsd - Show us your aeronautical engineering degree before spouting your senseless garbage. The 737 Max is a great aircraft with an excellent safety record. The problems that have occurred are not due to design, but are due to the many uneducated individuals that are currently entering the work force. Today's college degrees are handed out like candy, as long as the recipient was able to get his college loan.

[@bobwhitewo3b]

We just hit a drone and it shit on our windshield.

[@My-Pal-Hal]

A Bird Named Drone,.. Is such a sad classic song 😔

[@Trailer_Sailor]

I believe that's better than "A Horse with no Name". 😉😊

[@My-Pal-Hal]

Oh God, that song? It just Drones on and on 😂

[@Trailer_Sailor]

@@My-Pal-Hal 🤣😂👍

[@desireegoulett69]

Rampant wildlife outta control in SF😎

[@SteveMillerhuntingforfood]

In the downtown and at SFO

[@daytonaflyer]

I hit a bird on approach to landing at night in an A320 at 1600 ft. I also thought it might have been a drone because it was very loud and sounded like we hit a rock. It did not sound like the typical dull thud you hear when you have a bird strike. But upon post flight inspection, there was bird blood right beneath the captain's windscreen.

[@Stambo59]

So anyone that wants to fly drones near an airport should carry a bag of birds blood?

[@matthewmiller6068]

Its wild to me they immediately jumped to the conclusion it was somehow a drone and not a bird...

[@serpicowasright4029]

I got the tone in the pilots call that seemed annoyed, like he absolutely 100% knew it was those damn drones. 🙄

[@matthewmiller6068]

@@serpicowasright4029 until it turned out they were wrong and it was just those damn birds after the fact...I hope the pilot doesn't apply the same guessing to other procedures they have to do. Reminds me of one of the documentaries where pilots were so certain of a problem they shut down the wrong engine during a failure

[@Mainekarter2004]

I mean .. just the numbers alone... billions of birds in the sky at any one moment.. how many drones actually flying at this very second.. Pilot and ground should be educated about jumping to conclusions, and acting like fools..

[@sbdude82]

Drones generally don't bleed.

[@blackmusik109]

Not yet

[@MomedicsChannel]

Tell that to Terminator.

[@JimmyRussle]

must be a Cylon

[@garygolfer3243]

It may identify as a bleeder.

[@garethevans9789]

​@@garygolfer32432024... 😂

[@tastiger91]

At least ufos get a break these days.

[@jaystarr6571]

I don't think so... kzbin.info/www/bejne/bqi5qGh4rrOVb8U

[@flynnstone3580]

I've noticed the Geese are migrating now, legally.

[@Michael-oy3pz]

Those bloody birds how dare they go flying without lodging a flight plan or getting a clearance ✈️🇦🇺😂

[@alexgolovchenko3791]

I love these videos. The calm professionalism of all involved is outstanding.😎

[@z33511]

I'm actually impressed by SFO tower/approach on this clip. Very professionally handled. I'm not sure I would have closed 19 for "wildlife running across" unless it was deer-sized.

[@njebarr]

Old dude I used to fly with when I was a budding young FO told everyone this story: One of our routes was into Oviedo in Northern Spain. There was a permanent NOTAM saying look out for wild boars. This guy had been flying in and out for 15 years before he finally spotted one!! He was overjoyed when he reported it to the tower, who promptly shut the airport for 6 hours trying to find this "fucking pig" and the hole in the fence where it had got in. It's fair enough, those things would take out an engine.

[@jamesmedina2062]

animals don't typically run back and forth across a road but you never know. Still it's obvious answer to have manpower on the tarmac for contingencies.

[@jayschafer1760]

​@@jamesmedina2062 One animal doesn't run back and forth across a road typically. However, many animals are in packs/groups, so when you see one animal cross a road or runway there's a good chance that another one is lurking on the edge of the road and may cross soon themselves.

[@jamesmedina2062]

@@jayschafer1760 this is true

[@darby5987]

First a drone strike (became a bird strike), then wildlife on the runway. Was Godzilla also hiding in SF Bay waiting to cross 19L? Busy morning at SFO. 🤠

[@clemclemson9259]

they dont know what they hit. it most likely was a bird if you know anything at all..

[@kevinsellsit5584]

Regardless of what happened it is always a comfort to hear everyone working together on a professional level to keep us all safe. Thank you, Pilots and ATC. EDIT: Sorry ground crew, you are critical as well.

[@Mainekarter2004]

Professional does not include jumping to illogical conclusions.. especiallly an Captain.

[@paulis7319]

"We hit a drone" is pilot lingo for "we had a bird strike" because everyone knows that birds are drones. Like, duh!

[@danieljackheck]

Well yeah, birds aren't real. They charge when sitting on the power lines.

[@skidoorulz4914]

Anything to get drones outlawed

[@captaintoyota3171]

Yeahhhh sureee just like laser pointer right? NO THERE ARE A HOLEs who shine lasers at flights and fly drones in controlled airspace

[@paulis7319]

@@skidoorulz4914 I played with drones from 2013 to 2016, before the regulations got penned. They used to be fun, but I saw what was coming and got out of the hobby.

[@fantabuloussnuffaluffagus]

@@paulis7319 I still have some planes and helis, but with the new rules I don't fly anymore.

[@jordansean18]

Somehow people will find a way to blame Boeing for this 😅

[@EMT_Artesania]

"those damn 737 max again!!!" 😂

[@timduggan1461]

​@@EMT_Artesania It was a B737-900. NG type, not "Max".

[@EMT_Artesania]

@@timduggan1461 r/wooosh

[@wannabetrucker7475]

Boeing?!!! who are they? 😂😂

[@katisugarbaker7349]

Awwwww…..poor Boeing. They never did anything to deserve the criticism they’re getting. Must be racist.

[@Kaipeternicolas]

Great job by the PM. Great communication telling the ATC exactly what they needed. This should be shown to GA pilots as an example.

[@sketchyAnalogies]

Elaborating a bit, PM is Pilot Monitoring (working radios and other auxiliary duties) the other pilot is the PF Pilot Flying. The PF... does the flying.

[@Kaipeternicolas]

@@sketchyAnalogies thank you 👍👌

[@iatsd]

No, it really shouldn't. It is a good example of how not to do it. You want ACTUAL professional comms then go find the Thompson bird strike video. That is actual professionals at work. This is chit chat amateur hour.

[@jerseyshoredroneservices225]

I don't get it. This was routine communication. There are examples of excellent communication and overall performance by flight crews in difficult situations... but this wasn't that.

[@petsmith7772]

@@jerseyshoredroneservices225 you must not fly very much. It was pretty good comms by the PM. I've heard hundreds that were worse. Both in real life and on KZbin.

[@IVANHOECHAPUT]

A law must be passed by congress to ban all birds from entering aircraft airspace. That will fix the problem.

[@Vikingpilot79]

I'm always amazed when a return to field is needed nobody simply requests a hold to run checklists and company coordination. Way more efficient and stops ATC from interrupting the crew while they handle the situation.

[@rosewetzel8284]

I’m glad you guys are ok💞☮️🇺🇸✈️

[@Matt-dc8lp]

Jetblue: send it

[@CheadleFamily]

Be safe. Your company deserves the best.

[@malec93]

The "What are we here?" was epic, like "Looks like we are going to end this week with a bang. I really can't, man"

[@jerseyshoredroneservices225]

Pilot 1: Oh crap, we got bird guts on the windshield. Pilot 2: It looks like battery acid to me and I think it's kind of spelling out DJI

[@jimihendrix991]

''battery acid...'' Ah, a Nineteenth Century drone.... 🤔

[@EHEHspotter]

oke so United hit the bird on takeoff , bird fell down and ran across runway 1R in front of American1198? : - ) #Thks VAS !!!

[@747heavyboeing3]

Birds are miniature stealth aircraft.

[@Flies2FLL]

"Bird on final, say your intentions"

[@scottgrayson1209]

A certain air traffic controller at KPHX would not like the pilot read backs omitting the call sign.

[@spades9048]

All air traffic controllers do not like pilot readbacks that omit the callsign because they’re not actually readbacks without the callsign.

[@danevannett3804]

One of those new DJI b1rds.

[@Great-Documentaries]

Plot-twist: Animal crosses runway while emergency aircraft is on short final. Didn't see that one coming! Well done, SFO! This is your best show since Wii Tu Loe.

[@quasarsavage]

jetblue just wants to get this show on the road lol

[@kevinfrerichs8589]

Supprised someone didn't blame the Max!

[@carroll-w7wxv]

Great job integrating the Fedex pilot post in this situation. Thank you for another great video

[@pesetamaya3509]

Always a great job brother. Yeah these things are everywhere For some reason we don't know who they belong to but last night, April. The third around 11:20 we saw 2 dimmed lights about 10000 feet in the sky. One was brighter than the other. But then what 1 disappeared first and then the other one disappeared right behind the other 1. It was crazy, there was quite a few people who saw it. Man, I tell you, brother. There is something really strange going on in the sky, right? But as always, one million thumbs up to your channel.

[@carschmn]

Wildlife and drones busy day

[@Name-ot3xw]

I saw a flock of drones headed south today, nature is majestic.

[@FlakeSE]

Some pilots are drone obsessed.

[@leszekandhisrandomstuff.9228]

If I told you once, I told you a million times, the FAA needs to mandate Mode C Transponders on avians. How long will this loop hole be allowed to exist? Outrageous!

[@jshumphress13]

I had a bird strike last week…in my car. They always move out of the way. This ding dong did not. Luckily its beak didn’t scratch the bumper 😂. It was a solid hit.

[@mattc.310]

"Birds aren't real" ;) Thanks for the upload.

[@morerightrudder9742]

VAS Qantas had an engine failure a day or so ago over here in Australia, you able to do a video on that?

[@jastapler3574]

Spring and the animals are on the move…both missed their flights!

[@carygutnick8284]

Not another sfo video 😂

[@VASAviation]

I don't do it on purpose, trust me

[@Antwelm]

@@VASAviationLoL

[@sketchyAnalogies]

​@@VASAviationneither does SFO

[@fredharvey2720]

It's a MAX and the damn thing is still in one piece, flaps working!

[@wades_world22]

"uh oh another Boeing/ United incident" - the media

[@sketchyAnalogies]

Any decent Airbus can avoid drones. Boeing is slacking

[@kmccamis]

Wolf Blitzer screaming as usual 😅

[@davidmartin123]

"That wasn't a laser blast, something hit us!"

[@videoconcord]

AAAAAAAAAAhhhhhhh Dude now if someone point a laser at the airplane from the ground. How will the pilot know if it was someone pointing a laser at the pilot???? could only tell if it at night.

[@frenchie6062]

That is because of things like that , we drone pilot can't fly safely! We became a target!

[@kaamfinitii]

hey VasAviation yesterday night at JFK a supertug coming out of Taxiway Golf on to Taxiway Bravo completely lost steering with a aircraft attached to it i just wanted to know if you could pull the audio because it was causing complete chaos last night around 1:00AM-2:20AM

[@Johnny455]

Dang that's high aint it?!

[@randyhavener1851]

Its all so simple now! Im gonna get a bird costume for my drone!!

[@Stambo59]

And carry a bag of birds blood?

[@FlorianNuernberg]

4:12 wait, is this voice the same voice of the woman that had a strike live on atc? I am pretty sure she is. Nice to hear you are okay 😊💪

[@bogyrect7268]

March is keeping united busy.

[@JSFGuy]

That felt or sounded expensive.

[@andrewhofmann5453]

I was flying out of SATX a few years back and we passed about 100 ft over a drone. Some people just dont care about the impact they have.

[@Boodieman72]

Pilots seem to default to drone for anything they hit.

[@Snookattack]

Exactly as told to do.

[@DeltaEntropy]

Man, poor Ops earning their paychecks today.

[@toddw6716]

That tower controller she doesn’t sound too enthused

[@FishFind3000]

A lot of them are understaffed and over worked. That’s why the job can be very draining.

[@frizzby-x]

Sounded pretty chill.

[@FrancoCastro]

A geese that identifies as a DJI phantom 5 most likely

[@tin2001]

Yeah. It was trans-droneder.

[@windowpain1]

I wonder what made the pilot think it was a drone rather than a bird

[@jpdemer5]

A whack instead of a thump? Given that there are a few thousand birds for every drone in the air, there had to be something unusual about the hit.

[@Mainekarter2004]

It's kinda like Trump really.. People hate drones. They fear what they dont know anything about.. Media hypes it all up, and promotes an agenda..

[@bstives58]

So it wasn't a drone...nice title

[@SextonHardcastle85]

SFO was having a rough day.

[@LaczPro]

At this point United is only missing a dog lifting its paw and peeing the aircraft

[@marcd1981]

A bird strike will usually leave some type of physical indication on the aircraft. There would be blood and / or feathers in most cases, especially if the strike was direct enough to cause damage to the aircraft. So, if the side window was damaged, there should have been physical evidence of the strike.

[@jpdemer5]

A side swipe might sound more like a whack than a thump; combine that with no gore on the windshield, and a pilot might think "drone" rather than "bird". If no damage, I'm wondering why they elected to return to SFO rather than just continue on.

[@ChicagoMel23]

@@jpdemer5there was damage

[@russellgunther]

It pretty easy to tell what it hit once the plane has landed. Whatever was inside the drone/bird will be splattered all over the windscreen.

[@jeremyimes6734]

My question is how at approx 200 knots could a pilot in a 737 identify a drone?

[@MichaelCarrPilot]

737s do not take off at 200 kts.

[@roderickcampbell2105]

@@MichaelCarrPilot Correct. Way below 200 kts. Typical rotate is around 80 kts. And I know pilots generally can distinguish between soft and hard impacts..

[@MichaelCarrPilot]

@@roderickcampbell2105 typical rotate of a 737 is not at 80 knots.

[@roderickcampbell2105]

@@MichaelCarrPilot Fair enough. You say 110 kts or what speed?

[@MichaelCarrPilot]

@@roderickcampbell2105 probably in the neighborhood of 130-140.

[@warmfreeze]

How do you catch all the birds and install RID on them now?

[@jhonsiders6077]

It was bad weather so I doubt a drone would have been up big bird at it again .

[@Name-ot3xw]

Serious talk, I'm surprised that we went with the half baked remote-ID instead of some sort of ADS-B scheme for drones.

[@jacquesleroux5069]

Wildlife across runway? Is this SFO somewhere in my continent Africa?

[@shantanu925]

Here we go again, United + Boeing 737 + SFO 🥵🥵

[@bizzym6638]

"Return to the field, or just troubleshoot?" Yes.

[@SteveHarrellRally]

SFO was having a day

[@avgjoeavglife]

SFO is mildly terrifying...

[@TheGospelQuartetParadise]

I kinda questioned the drone theory when I first heard it because of the fact that the runways designated 1L and 1R go out over San Francisco Bay, while 28L and 28R go over residential areas. Runway 28L has been closed for taxiway work for a minute, thus creating more departures on the 1's. I don't know about the habits of drone operators but it would be unlikely that anyone without nefarious intent would fly a drone into the departure corridor. Just to the right of Runway 1R is the wetlands, and it is also home to many different types of waterfowl, including migrating geese. This I know because just yesterday, our plane spotting crew Cali Planes was there for 8 hours doing a livestream. Nope, no wheels fell off aircraft during the making of that livestream. The pilot of this flight said it had a metallic sound. Musta hit beak first... Glad it ended well.

[@SM18272]

....and the "wildlife" was a rampant RC buggy.

[@roskoegaming7085]

And this is why we need a part 107 license to fly drones now

[@ConChairman]

Amazing how many drones have blood and feathers.

[@daklakdigital3691]

UNBELIEVABLE. It is amazing how many airstfikes are birds. There is always some pilot with a wild imagination having some wild incident. I FLY BALLOONS, weather types that carry a video camera, recovery beacpn, parachute & a pilot doll, our group tracks the balloons to the point of bursting & then the payload is tracked to landing. We recover the payload and run the video. Of hundreds of flights we have never been struck even though our we often reach 40,000 feet, we have shots of us taken from ABOVE aircraft in flight. Commercial endeavours always try to kill off competition - the skies a "common property" & we are pollution free.