FBI Investigating Unidentified Drone Spotted Near JFK Airport





<img class=" wp-image-54735" title="dronage" src="http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/threatlevel/2013/03/dronage.png" alt="" width="660" height="426" />A drone, similar in description to this Aeryon Labs “Scout” model, came within 200 feet of a passenger plane at John F. Kennedy International Airport.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation said Tuesday it is investigating an unidentified black drone an Alitalia pilot said he encountered while approaching John F. Kennedy International Airport.
The Flight #608 pilot said he saw the 3-foot-wide drone, with four propellers, at about 1,750 feet Monday, three miles before touching down.
Whether it was a hobbyist breaking the Federal Aviation Administration’s 400-foot-altitude rule or a real spy vessel from the Evil Empire is unknown. Either way, there’s a UFO out there and it came within 200 feet of the plane, the FBI said.
“The FBI is asking anyone with information about the unmanned aircraft or the operator to contact us,” said John Giacalone, the special agent in charge of the bureau’s New York field office. “Our paramount concern is the safety of aircraft passengers and crew.”
A Government Accountability Office report warned Congress last year that its push for drones to become commonplace in U.S. airspace fails to take into account privacy, security and even GPS jamming and spoofing. The GAO, Congress’ research arm, was responding to the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, signed by President Barack Obama in February, which among other things requires the Federal Aviation Administration to accelerate drone flights in U.S. airspace.
Federal lawmakers last month introduced legislation regulating state and federal government use of unmanned drones (.pdf) in the United States. If adopted, the one-of-a-kind legislation would prohibit drones from being armed, and would demand that government agencies register drones and adopt privacy polices. What’s more, the proposal would allow drones to be used only in criminal matters, in which warrants would be required.
　
　
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2013/03/ufo-black-drone-fbi/