Lufthansa Reports Near Miss With Drone Over Los Angeles

The pilot of a Lufthansa Airbus A380 reported a drone aircraft nearly collided with the airliner on Friday on its approach into Los Angeles, according to the FAA.

The close encounter between the A380 and the drone occurred at about 1:30 pm local time at an altitude of 5,000 feet as the unmanned aircraft passed about 200 feet over the Lufthansa flight 14 miles (22.5 km) east of the airport, the FAA said.

No evasive action was taken by the crew and the plane made a safe landing minutes later without further incident.

The FAA immediately alerted the Los Angeles police air support division.

US federal regulations generally bar drone aircraft and model planes from flying higher than 400 feet or within 5 miles (8 km) of an airport without first contacting air traffic control and airport authorities. Operators also must keep their drones away from other aircraft, sporting events and other groups of people.

The FAA has received at least 42 reports of drones flying unsafely near LAX, the nation's second-busiest airport, since 2014, according to a Los Angeles Times analysis last year of federal data released by US Senator Dianne Feinstein.

The data shows nearly 200 pilot reports of close encounters involving drones in California alone during the past two years, the most in any state, according to the Times.

Responding to heightened concerns about rogue drone flights near airports, the FAA issued a rule in December requiring drone hobbyists as young as 13 years of age to register their unmanned aircraft online with the government.