Latest news with #Flight654
New York Times
30-03-2025
- New York Times
Kite Confiscated After Coming in Contact With a Jet Near Washington
The police confiscated a kite on Saturday after it was flown near airplanes landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport, according to the airport police, and after a witness said he saw it make contact with a landing plane. United Airlines said that it 'was aware of reports' that a kite had been in the path of Flight 654 from Houston. 'The aircraft landed safely, customers deplaned normally and upon inspection there was no damage to the aircraft,' United said. Officers with the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police Department received reports on Saturday of a kite flying at Gravelly Point, a park just north of an airport runway, Emily McGee, a spokeswoman for the department, said on Sunday. Gravelly Point is a part of the George Washington Memorial Parkway and is overseen by the National Park Service. The agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Sunday. Kite flying is barred at the park because of the low-flying aircraft in the area. Officers 'briefly confiscated' a kite on Saturday, Ms. McGee said. 'That kite was returned to its owner shortly later, and no charges were filed,' Ms. McGee said. It was not immediately known how high the kite was flying or what kind of kite was confiscated. The Federal Aviation Administration said on Sunday that it did not have a report about the kite. Jamie Larounis, a travel industry analyst, said in an interview on Sunday that he had reported the kite to the airport police after seeing it make contact with the plane on Saturday while he was walking home from the Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington. He stopped to sit at Gravelly Park for 10 to 15 minutes. He described the park as a 'plane spotter's paradise,' where he sometimes sees people with air traffic control radios watching planes just before they land at the airport. On Saturday, people were picnicking, cycling and flying about 10 to 15 kites, he said. Most of the kites were flying relatively low, he said, but at one point he spotted a green, 'run-of-the-mill kid's kite' flying higher and higher. He said it looked as if two adults and a child were controlling it. An incoming plane 'was at the right height to come in contact with that kite,' he said, and he watched as the kite reached a side of the plane, between its fuselage and the engine. The kite came down, tangled in itself, he said. He disputed the description by the police of the kite being 'briefly confiscated,' and said it remained in a police car while the family drove away from the park without it. Mr. Larounis called the airport police to report what happened because he was concerned that the kite might have caused damage to the plane that had gone unnoticed. He said he was also particularly sensitive to aviation safety after an American Airlines flight collided with an Army helicopter near the airport in January, killing 67 people aboard both aircraft. The F.A.A. has since closed the helicopter route involved in the crash. Another concerning episode happened at Reagan National Airport on Friday, when four U.S. Air Force jets came close to a Delta Air Lines plane that was taking off. The F.A.A. is investigating.
Yahoo
30-03-2025
- Yahoo
Kite confiscated after apparently hitting United plane in Washington area
A kite appears to have hit a passenger jet as it flew near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Saturday afternoon, United Airlines said. 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
NBC News
30-03-2025
- NBC News
Kite confiscated after apparently hitting United plane in Washington area
A kite appears to have hit a passenger jet as it flew near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Saturday afternoon, United Airlines said. 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.
