Air Force One with Trump on board nearly hit by drone, report says
President was not harmed as he returned from a weekend at his New Jersey golf resort
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Air Force One, with Donald Trump aboard, was nearly struck on Sunday night as it approached a military airport outside Washington, according to reports.
The aircraft appeared yellow and cross-shaped, and came near the executive jet around 5:54pm on Sunday, according to wire reports.
Mr Trump was returning from a long weekend at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf resort. He also visited his younger brother, Robert Trump, who passed away on Saturday night in a New York hospital.
The drone did not strike Air Force One.
Federal safety officials have struggled in investigating such events in the past.
One reason is that most commercial drones are small and weigh only a few pounds. Some military aircraft have been hit by them, but were not taken down or seriously damaged.
The remotely piloted aircraft are not supposed to fly higher than 400 feet.
As commercial drones became more and more affordable last decade, some aviation experts warned they would be hard for the government to regulate and prevent from causing havoc for large planes and helicopters.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments