A United Airlines Boeing 737 (Flight 654) from Houston reportedly struck a kite while landing at Washington Reagan National Airport (DCA) on Saturday (29th March 2025). Pilots observed the kite flying over Gravelly Point, a park near the runway where kite-flying is prohibited due to aircraft proximity. The aircraft landed safely with 126 passengers and five crew members on board. United Airlines confirmed no damage to the aircraft after inspection.

Witnesses at the park reported seeing the plane make contact with the kite before landing. Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police responded, confiscated the kite, and later returned it to its owner without filing charges. The incident follows a series of aviation safety concerns at DCA, including a Delta flight’s collision avoidance alert due to a military aircraft encounter one day earlier. A midair collision between a Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines flight, killing 67 people occured in january the same year.