Kite confiscated after apparently hitting United plane in Washington area
The airline said it was aware of reports that a kite hit United Flight 654, and that the flight from Houston landed safely.
"Customers deplaned normally," it said, "and upon inspection there was no damage to the aircraft."
The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police Department, which patrols Reagan National and Dulles International Airport, said a kite was "briefly confiscated" from someone in Gravelly Point because it was flying in restricted airspace.
"Kite-flying is prohibited at Gravelly Point due to low-flying aircraft landing at DCA," the department said in a statement.
Jamie Larounis, a travel analyst, said he was at Gravelly Point on Saturday with a friend and a few hundred others to enjoy one of the first warm weekend days of spring when he saw the kite hit a plane and called airport police.
He said 10 or more kites were flying from the park space just north of Reagan National's main runway, as planes descended for landing from the north.
For reasons unknown, Larounis said, 'One kite got progressively higher and higher.'
He said he spotted the United flight approaching and saw it hit the kite between an engine and the fuselage.
The kite took a dive, he said, but reemerged in the air briefly before it was seen on the ground with a family, its string tangled and in a ball.
Airport police arrived with emergency lights and sirens activated, and officers began interviewing the family — two adults and a child — as they took possession of the kite, Larounis said.
'That kite was returned to its owner shortly later and no charges were filed,' said Emily McGee, spokesperson for the airport police department.
She said in the statement that officers warned some of the park-goers that kite flying is prohibited at Gravelly Point.
Gravelly Point, part of George Washington Memorial Parkway, is under the purview of the National Park Service. It's across the Potomac River from the National Mall, where the Blossom Kite Festival, part of the National Cherry Blossom Festival celebrating spring, was taking place on Saturday, airport police said.
A spokesperson for the festival said it was not connected to activity at Gravelly Point.
United Flight 654 departed from its gate at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston at 11:59 a.m. and arrived at its Reagan National gate at 4:17 p.m., about 19 minutes behind schedule, according to flight tracker FlightAware.
Federal regulations prohibit kite flying near an airport, and ban flying them higher than 500 feet. If special permission is given, a notice to pilots must be issued, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. No such kite-flying notices were found in the agency's database for Saturday in the area of Reagan National.
The incident took place in the wake of a handful of concerning aviation crashes and near-misses this year, including the collision of an American Airlines passenger jet and a U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopter near Reagan National on Jan. 29, which killed all 67 people in the two aircraft.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
2 days ago
- New York Times
Violence on Syrian Coast Likely Amounts to War Crimes, U.N. Says
Members of Syria's government security forces and other armed groups likely committed war crimes during a deadly outbreak of sectarian violence in March, the United Nations reported on Thursday, providing the most detailed account yet of who perpetrated the massacres. The report by the U.N.'s Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria examined the bloodshed in Syrian coastal communities, and laid bare how fragile peace is in the country since rebels toppled the dictator Bashar al-Assad in December. Around 1,400 people, mostly civilians, were killed in the violence, according to the report. That death toll is largely consistent with the government's own figures and those of monitoring groups. U.N. investigators found no evidence that Syria's central government directed its forces to commit the violations. The government has denied accusations that its military commanders ordered any attacks on civilians, and pledged to hold accountable any members of its own security forces who took part in the slaughter. The violence in March broke out after groups loyal to the ousted Assad government ambushed security forces with the new government. Clashes ensued between the Assad loyalists, mostly members of the Alawite sect of Islam, and the largely Sunni Muslim government forces. Tens of thousands of ex-rebel fighters and other armed civilians converged on the Mediterranean coast in support of the new government. The fighting quickly devolved into revenge attacks primarily targeting civilians from the Alawite minority, the group that dominated Syria's elite circles during the Assad family's decades-long dictatorship. Many Sunni fundamentalists consider the Alawites, who practice an offshoot of Shiite Islam, to be heretics. The U.N.-backed commission found that, during the turmoil, members of government forces and allied groups committed 'widespread and systematic' violence against civilians, including raiding houses in Alawite-majority areas, singling out Alawite men and killing them. The commission found that members of Turkish-backed rebel factions that are now part of the new Syrian army likely participated in the attacks on civilians. Former members of the rebel group led by President Ahmed al-Shara, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, who now serve in the government's security forces, were also likely involved, the report found. Armed groups affiliated with the Assad government also committed violent acts that likely amount to war crimes, according to the report. 'The scale and brutality of the violence documented in our report is deeply disturbing,' said Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro, Chair of the Commission, who called on Syria's new authorities to expand their existing efforts to arrest those suspected of being involved in the attacks. The government has arrested at least 37 people who were involved in attacks against civilians, the head of the government's fact-finding committee on the violence, Jumaa al-Anzi, said in a news conference last month. The massacres in March were the first major outbreak of sectarian violence in Syria since a coalition of Islamist rebels, led by Mr. al-Shara, ousted the Assad government and took power. His new government was in the midst of trying to create a new national army out of the many rebel factions that were part of his coalition. The commission determined that there was no evidence that Syria's new central government had a 'policy or plan' to target Alawites. The violence on the coast stoked fears among Syria's minorities that — despite Mr. al-Shara's pledges to govern inclusively and provide security to all Syrians — the new Islamist government was unable or unwilling to protect them from extremist groups, and was not fully in control of its own forces. Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani said in a letter responding to the U.N. report that Syria's new authorities take 'serious note of the alleged violations' detailed in the commission's investigation. He added that the commission's recommendations, which included enhanced screening for those joining the country's security forces, 'will serve as a road map for Syria's continued progress.' The report was released in the wake of another deadly bout of sectarian violence that seized southern Sweida Province last month. The violence in the south pitted government forces and armed Bedouin groups against militias from the Druse, a religious minority that practices an ancient offshoot of Shiite Islam. More than 1,000 people were killed, mostly fighters and civilians from the Druse minority, according to monitoring groups. Tens of thousands of Druse and Bedouin civilians have been displaced. Reham Mourshed contributed reporting.
New York Post
6 days ago
- New York Post
Mystery plane thief keeps taking vintage plane for joyrides, returning it repaired: ‘It's just weird'
A mystery plane thief keeps stealing a vintage small plane for sky-high joyrides — and even repairing it before returning it ready for the next time. Retired California pilot Jason Hong told the Los Angeles Times he had just finished celebrating his 75th birthday when he suddenly got the urge to pay a visit to his 'old treasure,' a 1958 Cessna Skyhawk stationed at the Corona Municipal Airport on July 27. Instead, he found his white and red single-engine plane missing, with police notifying him that the plane had been checked out at least twice before the latest mysterious joyride. Adding to the mystery, the plane had also been maintained and repaired, he said. Advertisement 3 A 1958 Cessna Skyhawk was repeatedly stolen and flown around California airports in July and August. CBS 'On and off, they flew in and out, in and out, almost an entire month without knowing,' he said, with some witnesses suggesting the plane thief was a middle-aged woman. 'This is really a rare situation.' Hong said he's baffled as to who might be taking it — and why. 'Someone breaks into your house, they're looking for jewelry or cash, right?' Hong said. 'But in this case, what's the purpose? It's like someone breaks my window, and then they put a new one up.' Advertisement After that first time noticing it was missing, Hong was initially relieved when La Verne Police reported his Cessna had been found two days later at the Brackett Field Airport. According to plane-tracking site Flight Aware, Hong's plane initially took off from the Corona airport on the morning of July 26 for a 51-minute trip to Palm Springs. It then departed for a brief 22-minute flight to the Bracket Field Airport. The frustrated 75-year-old decided to pull the battery from the plane until he could come back to clean the cockpit and inspect it. Advertisement 3 Jason Hong, 75, is confused as to who would keep stealing his plane, return it, and even make some repairs. CBS But when he returned on Aug. 3, Hong found the plane missing again, with police locating the stolen aircraft now parked at the San Gabriel Valley Airport. 'This plane just keeps disappearing out of the blue,' Sgt. Robert Montanez of the Corona Police Department told the outlet. 'It's just weird.' Once Hong got to the San Gabriel Valley Airport, the mystery only deepened after he found a new headset and battery inside the plane, meaning the thief had to spend a significant amount of money to get it flying again. Advertisement 3 The plane was ultimately found at the San Gabriel Valley Airport, where Hong plans to keep it stationed. San Gabriel Valley Airport Association/Facebook Hong also learned from regulars at the airport that they had seen a woman flying his plane around San Gabriel Valley multiple times in July. While one witness claimed the thief was a woman who appeared to be in her 40s or 50s and about 5'3″, police noted that there is no video available to show who stole the plane. As police continue to investigate the circumstances of the repeated robberies, Hong found a silver lining in meeting the staff and regulars at the San Gabriel Valley Airport. 'This has better people,' Hong said. 'Better lounge than Corona. A little bit farther, but this airport can be my home base,' Hong told local KCAL News.
Forbes
08-08-2025
- Forbes
Tech Savvy Thieves Commit Cargo Heists At Record Levels
The number and value of thefts from cargo on the move in the United States is on the rise and predicted to grow even further according to reports by several organizations. It's a trend experts believe will be exacerbated by new import tariffs and growing technical sophistication on the part of the thieves. 'We're in record breaking territory,' declared Danny Ramon, director of intelligence and response at cargo security company Overhaul, during a webcast Thursday previewing the company's second quarter cargo theft report. Cargo thefts increased 4% in the second quarter of this year from Q1 but 33% higher than Q2 2024, according to the Overhaul report. Cargo thefts were up 10% during the first six months of this year compared to the first half of 2024. 'You got to keep in mind that 4%, that 10% is on top. It's compounded on top of year over year, over quarter over quarter of record breaking cargo theft,' explained Ramon. Overhaul now predicts cargo thefts will increase 19% during the second half of the year. Indeed, the value of stolen merchandise and estimated losses broke the $1 billion mark for the first time in 2023, going on to increase 27% in 2024. These figures are projected to increase another 22% by the end of 2025, David J. Glawe, president and CEO of the National Insurance Crime Bureau revealed in testimony before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on July 15. The items cargo thieves most often target are vehicles, household goods and consumer electronics, according to the just-released July 2025 Cargo Security Index, produced by cargo security companies GearTrack and Verisk. The methods cargo thieves are using have escalated, making prevention and enforcement more challenging, including the use of artificial intelligence. 'There's been a trend over time of moving from opportunistic or even petty theft to organized, highly sophisticated criminal rings that are identifying where their vulnerabilities in the supply chain, where the highest value assets and targeting those assets,' noted Ilan Gluck, general manager of GearTrack, in an interview. 'What has accelerated dramatically over the last couple of years is the level of sophistication of the criminals has increased dramatically.' Cargo thieves are also becoming more aggressive in stalking their prey, showing a patience and willingness to travel beyond traditional hot spots for the crime. While California traditionally accounts for the most cargo thefts, the GearTrack/Verisk report revealed a 75% rise in theft incidents in Indiana, 40% in Arizona and 35% in Illinois. The report attributed those increases to 'rising warehouse operations in Indianapolis and organized theft rings targeting shipping routes in Arizona. There's also been a sharp spike in cargo theft in the Texas triangle of Dallas, Houston and Austin as stolen goods are moved over the border to Mexico, according to Gluck. The 200-mile, so-called, Red Zone in southern California remains the cargo theft hotspot, but motivated by the possibility of lucrative payoffs, thieves are willing to go beyond the zone to make their scores. 'Once they've identified a particular shipment that they're interested in and going to steal it and dedicated to that theft, they're going to follow it till they get to opportunity,' said John Cannon, law enforcement liaison at Overhaul. 'We've seen them several hundred miles outside the 200-mile radius strike and steal the cargo.' Add to the mix new tariffs on imported goods, it's likely to create new targets for cargo thieves along with more misery for consumers. 'Tariffs, in some cases are going to drive shortages--in some cases are going to drive price increases,' predicted Ramon. 'Both of those things are going to increase demand, which will increase targeting. I will say organized cargo thieves are incredibly agile to market trends and are able to shift targets at the drop of a hat.' In response to the continuing rise in cargo and retails thefts in general, Congress is considering legislation aimed at combating the crime. The bipartisan Safeguarding Our Supply Chains Act has been proposed in the U.S. House of Representatives. If passed, it would establish a Supply Chain Fraud and Theft Task Force. 'It's just giving law enforcement the power and teeth to enforce something that's already on the books and so it's important when it comes to tracking and identifying theft, you have to have the integration with law enforcement to actually take action,' said Gluck. The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee is looking at the proposed Combating Retail Crime Act of 2025, that would establish a coordinated multi-agency response and create new tools to tackle evolving trends in organized retail theft. Companies such as GearTrack and Overhaul are in business to help shippers track cargo and prevent thefts through the use of various technologies. 'We deploy sensors on assets, on vehicles, on trucks, on, really, anywhere it's needed, throughout the supply chain,' explained Gluck on GearTrack's Internet of Things solution. 'We're deploying sensors that are generating data constantly to help translate the truth around what what's actually happening on the ground. So for us, it's about deploying a network of hardware devices, capturing all of the data from that hardware and then translating that data back to our customers, for them to make meaningful decisions within their operation.' Aside from technology, Overhaul's Ramon implores all-around vigilance every step of the way from loading to delivery, advising, 'It is the full throated, layered security program. Vet your carriers, vet your brokers, vet your drivers through all means available to you, not just one. Don't just check a box and move on. Use all the tools that you have access to.'
