At around 7:00 PM, American Airlines flight 605 was around 7000 feet over the Fountain Hills/Scottsdale area when a co-pilot spotted a black-and-yellow drone just below the plane's nose.
The Phoenix Police Department received a report from the flight crew, which didn't alter their route and safely landed the airplane despite the drone.
Phoenix law enforcement said they had no evidence to launch an investigation into the case.
From your airborne firefighters: Flying a UAS near a wildfire endangers lives and the firefighting operations. https://t.co/cQSRGK2fBz
— The FAA (@FAANews) July 31, 2015
Calls for tighter controls over UAVs are gathering momentum. Further regulations to limit drone owners from operating their recreational flyers have already been proposed by City council members Sal DiCiccio and Michael Nowakowski, who recently started work on an ordinance that, if approved, would empower police to issue infractions for drone usage.
The FAA's Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 prohibits drones from interfering with manned aircraft and states that the former should not be flown within 5 miles of airports. However, the FAA has not yet proposed specific penalties for breaking its regulations.
The issue has attracted the attention of security officials and legislators.
The US Department of Homeland Security last week distributed a bulletin to police agencies across the country, warning of the potential use of drones for terror attacks, CBS revealed.
