How pervasive is the Obama administration’s drone program? A report by ABC News suggests the answer might be “very”:
[An] Alitalia plane was on final approach [to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport] about 1:15 p.m. Monday, when the pilot saw [an] unmanned aircraft approximately four to five miles southeast of the airport, the [Federal Aviation Administration] said in a statement.
In an audio capture at LiveATC.net, the pilot of the passenger airliner can be heard telling the control tower at JFK, “We saw a drone, a drone aircraft.” Later in the recording a second pilot can be heard reporting a similar sighting.
According to the FAA, the Alitalia pilot said that the small, “remote-controlled aircraft” was flying at an altitude of approximately 1,500 feet. He was not, however, required to take evasive action and the passenger jet landed without incident.
ABC speculates that the drone “pilot” could have been a hobbyist or terrorist. Either should give readers pause, as should the possibility that Big Brother is watching you more than anyone is letting on.
The story is also the latest chapter in an embarrassing history of security lapses at JFK. In August 2012, a security gate opening on to fuel pipeline was found unsecured.
As for the current case, the FBI the Joint Terror Task Force have joined the FAA in investigating the incident.
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