Lufthansa Flight 456, which came all the way from Frankfurt, Germany, safely landed at the Los Angeles International Airport Friday. But it wasn't until after another one of those precarious close encounters with a drone.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) spokesperson Ian Gregor said that a drone came as close as 200 feet above the Lufthansa A380, which was flying 5,000 feet and just a few miles east of LAX. According to the report of the commercial jet pilot, the incident took place around 1:30 p.m.

Accident Waiting to Happen

The concerned division from the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) was alerted when the report of the incident came in and an investigation ensued in search of the drone.

Federal regulations state that drones are prohibited from flying higher than 400 feet (122 meters) or within 5 miles (8 km) of an airport without permission from air traffic control and airport authorities.

Drones and wild fowls can cause an aircraft to crash when they get sucked into the engine or make a collision onto a critical portion of the plane.

Based on data from Bard College's Center for the Study of the Drone in New York, there are close to a hundred aerial encounters involving a commercial jet and a drone. These unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can pose danger to a commercial flight much like how wild birds have done so in recent years.

The Growing Number of Drones

These UAVs have risen in numbers in recent years. The FAA, for instance, has accounted for more than 300,000 registrations from drone operators in February -- a number that has already surpassed that of manned aircraft.

The Consumer Technology Association, meanwhile, says that the 2016 U.S. sales of drones will only increase compared to the previous year. That means an additional 2.8 million drones will be contending for their share of the skies.

And, while there are already some FAA regulations in place, the lack of awareness or discretion from the growing number of operators, is becoming problematic.

"This is one more incident that could have brought down an airliner, and it's completely unacceptable. A near-miss of 200 feet should serve as a stark reminder of the dangers posed by reckless drone use," said U.S. senator for California Dianne Feinstein, who is pushing for the passing of a legislation that would strengthen aviation laws in connection with these flying hazards.

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