'Researchers say there have been at least 241 reports of close encounters between drones and manned aircraft that meet the government’s definition of a near midair collision, including 28 in which pilots maneuvered to get out of the way. A report released Friday by Bard College’s Center for the Study of the Drone in New York says 90 of the close encounters involved drones and commercial jets, the majority of which had the capacity to carry 50 people or more.'
'More than 400,000 drones were sold last year and this year the Consumer Technology Association is forecasting sales of 700,000 more.'
'In August, the Federal Aviation Administration said reports of close calls by pilots had soared, even though FAA rules prohibit flying drones near airports. It reported cases in which commercial pilots had seen drones flying above 10,000 feet and pointed to instances in which firefighters battling wildfires in the western part of the country had to ground their operations after spotting drones nearby.'
'The study reviewed 922 incidents involving drones and manned aircraft in the national airspace over the past two years. These incidents were reported to the FAA and NASA’s Aviation Safety Reporting System, a confidential reporting system for pilots, from December 2013 to September 2015.'
'The researchers found that 326 incidents or 35 percent of the cases could be described as close encounters, defined as drones coming within 500 feet of aircraft.'
'In 158 of those cases, a drone came within 200 feet or less of an aircraft, and in 28 instances, a pilot reported having to maneuver to avoid a collision. The study also found 90 close encounters between an aircraft and a drone involved a commercial airplane, and 37 involved helicopters.'
