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A United Airlines flight appeared to collide with a kite while landing at Washington Reagan National Airport on Saturday, multiple outlets reported.
According to NBC News, the airline said it was aware of reports that a kite hit the plane.
The flight landed safely, and there was no damage to the aircraft.
United flight from Houston made contact with a kite as it tried to land at Reagan National Airport https://t.co/inq40OK2sq
— ABC13 Houston (@abc13houston) March 30, 2025
Per NBC News:
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.
Holy shit. I just saw an incident at @ReaganAirport.
While at Gravelly Point, we saw a kite hit @united 654 from Houston on final approach to land. The kite was a couple hundred feet in the air and you could just tell it was about to hit. As soon as it hit, the kite went down… pic.twitter.com/AHP5K3jgvs
— Jamie Larounis (@TheForwardCabin) March 29, 2025
Airport authorities briefly confiscated the kite that witnesses say made contact with a United flight approaching DCA this afternoon. https://t.co/a04yOz4aWh
— WUSA9 (@wusa9) March 30, 2025
CBS News reports:
The pilots reported the kite flying over Gravelly Point, a park just off the runway along the banks of the Potomac River on the Virginia side, according to Air Traffic Control audio. Flying kites there is prohibited because of its proximity to landing aircraft.
“It was over the park, about 100 feet over the ground, it looks like it’s right on the flight path,” pilots said.
Flight 654, a Boeing 737, landed safely with 126 passengers and five crew on board around 4 p.m. EDT, according to United.
“We are aware of reports that a kite struck UA flight 654 from Houston to Regan Airport in Washington D.C.,” United airlines said in a statement to CBS News. “The aircraft landed safely, customers deplaned normally and upon inspection there was no damage to the aircraft.”
Witnesses enjoying a warm day at the park also reported watching the United flight coming in contact with the kite, CBS affiliate WUSA9 reported.
“There was a kite that looked a little higher than it should be, we thought it might just be a perspective thing from where we were standing but, lo and behold, as the plane got a little bit closer, it came into contact with the kite,” a producer at the D.C. news station and former flight attendant, Dylan Oakes, said.