Agency: Airline pilot sights drone near Phoenix airport

PHOENIX (AP/CBS5) –

Authorities say an airline pilot reported spotting a drone about a dozen miles from Phoenix’s main airport

Federal Aviation Administration regional spokesman Ian Gregor says the pilot reported seeing the unmanned aircraft while inbound to Sky Harbor International Airport late Thursday morning.

Details about the drone itself, its altitude and its proximity to the airliner aren’t immediately known. However, Gregor says the pilot didn’t mention taking evasive action.

Gregor says Phoenix police responded to the report but that he doesn’t know if police are conducting an investigation.

According to Phoenix Police Sgt. Trent Crump, a pilot for the Phoenix Police Department heard a conversation between the pilot of the inbound plane and Sky Harbor approach.

“The information indicated that the inbound aircraft had spotted a small remote control helicopter in or near the approach area,” he wrote in an email to news outlets. “The best location description was near the Loop 101 and McDowell Road. There is a well-known RC field in that area. We dispatched officers to this location and nothing was found.”

The Associated Press reported Wednesday that a growing number of small drone aircraft are turning up in the skies near U.S. airports and airliners and posing a risk of collision.
Read more: http://www.kpho.com/story/27378118/agency-airline-pilot-sights-drone-in-phoenix-area#ixzz3J3oKvZmM