US passenger jet nearly collides with drone midair

A passenger jet had a near collision midair with a drone at an altitude of 2,700 feet in New York amid the increasing use of drones in the US, the Federal Aviation Administration says.

The incident happened as the Shuttle America Flight 2708 was approaching New York's LaGuardia Airport on Friday, the FAA said on Saturday.

The crew of the jet reported that the aircraft was climbing 200 feet in order to avoid a collision as it made its final approach to the airport around 11 a.m.

With 70 to 78 passenger seats, the jet was flying from Washington, DC. It finally landed safely without any report of injuries.

Sen. Charles Schumer, (D-NY), said authorities should push for stricter limits on drone use.

"Every drone that's sold in the United States, whether it's made here or abroad, can have built into the drone itself a mechanism that doesn't let it fly in certain places," Schumer said.

Meanwhile, five commercial airline pilots said their planes were targeted by green lasers over New York and New Jersey on Thursday night just hours before the drone incident.

The green laser light is considered hazardous because it can travel for miles and has the potential to temporarily blind a pilot.

Sen. Schumer also called on the US government to ban the use of lasers due to its inevitable dangers.

"Unless we do something, there's going to be something very serious and very bad that happens with these green lasers," he said.

Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson also said that "to try to impede a pilot flying a commercial flight with lots of people on it with a laser is reckless, dangerous behavior."

According to Phil Derner Jr., an aviation research and consulting expert, drones and lasers pose the greatest threats to the airline industry in America.

AT/HRJ

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