Everything that happened when United flight from Houston hit a kite while landing at D.C. airport today

It looked like a U.S. United flight from Houston hit a kite as it landed at D.C. airport.
CBS News last changed this on March 29, 2025, at 11:32 p.m. EDT.

It looked like a United Airlines plane from Houston hit a kite on Saturday as it was landing at Washington Reagan National Airport.

Sound from Air Traffic Control shows that the pilots said the kite was flying over Gravelly Point, a park just off the runway on the Virginia side of the Potomac River. Because it is so close to where planes land, flying kites is not allowed there.

“It was over the park, about 100 feet over the ground, it looks like it’s right on the flight path,” pilots shared.

United says that Flight 654, a Boeing 737, landed safely around 4 p.m. EDT with 126 passengers and 5 staff members on board.

United Airlines told CBS News, “We are aware of reports that a kite hit UA flight 654 from Houston to Regan Airport in Washington, D.C.” “The aircraft landed safely, customers deplaned normally and upon inspection there was no damage to the aircraft.”

People who were at the park enjoying a warm day also said they saw the United flight hit the kite, according to CBS station WUSA9.

One of the people at the D.C. news station and former flight attendant, Dylan Oakes, said, “There was a kite that looked a little higher than it should have been. We thought it might just be a matter of perspective from where we were standing, but lo and behold, as the plane got a little closer, it hit the kite.”

CBS News has asked the FAA for a response.

WUSA9 reports that Washington Metropolitan Airport Authority Police went to the park and took away a kite.

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority said in a statement, “Airports Authority police officers responded to reports of kite-flying at Gravely Point today. This is not allowed in that area because it poses a safety risk to low-flying aircraft.”

A representative for Reagan National said in a statement that no charges were brought and the kite was given back to its owner.

About 24 hours ago, a Delta flight got a collision avoidance alert because a military plane was very close. This is the latest in a string of scary close calls that started after a crash in the sky at the D.C. airport in January that killed 67 people.

After the deadly crash between an American Airlines flight and a Black Hawk helicopter, the National Transportation Safety Board made several suggestions to deal with a “serious safety risk” at Reagan National. These included not letting helicopters fly along the route near the airport when runways 15 and 33 are in use.