Virgin Atlantic reports drone flying dangerously close to plane near JFK airport Three commercial airline pilots reported unmanned drones in one week Virgin Atlantic crew spotted drone at 3,000ft while coming in to land at JFK Delta and JetBlue also reported unmanned objects flying near to planes Delta pilot claimed drone was flying too close to a wing while landing Investigation into incidents launches by Federal Aviation Administration An investigation has been launched after three airlines reported drones flying dangerously close to planes on the approach to New York's JFK Airport. Flight crew on a Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747 first spotted an unmanned drone as the jumbo jet made its final approach on a flight from London last Sunday evening. The captain told officials that the drone was flying at an altitude of around 3,000ft in airspace over Nassau County, just east of the airport. A Virgin Atlantic pilot alerted air traffic control after spotting a drone at an altitude of 3,000ft Radio-controlled drones have skyrocketed in popularity thanks to the growing trend of aerial photography Around a minute later, a Delta Air Lines pilot who was behind the controls of a Boeing 737 arriving from San Diego told air traffic controllers that the drone was flying too close to its left wing as it flew over Nassau County, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). According to an audio recording obtained by NBC News, the Delta pilot told the air traffic control tower: "We just had something fly over us. I don't know if it was a drone or a balloon, it just came real quick. Another incident was reported on Wednesday afternoon as a JetBlue plane from Savannah, Georgia, prepared to land at JFK. Nassau County police were unable to locate the drone during an aerial search by helicopter The drone was flying at about 400ft as it buzzed near the Airbus A320 over Nassau County. Air traffic control recordings captured the pilot's concern telling controllers that the drone looked like it was flying right on the final approach, NBC reported. Despite raising concerns, none of the pilots had to take evasive action and all three planes landed safely. A drone was flying at about 400ft as it buzzed a JetBlue Airbus A320 over Nassau County Local police, the FBI and FAA were all notified, and Nassau County police were unable to locate the drone or its operator during an aerial search by helicopter. If the operator is identified, he or she could face criminal charges. Unmanned drones have skyrocketed in popularity thanks to the growing trend of aerial photography, and they have become a serious problem for airports and pilots as many operators are not aware of the rules or dangers. There have been dozens of reports of drones flying too close to airports or commercial aircraft, and experts say the radio-controlled devices pose a significant threat because they could be sucked into a jet engine. Three commercial pilots encountered drones while making their final approach to JFK Airport in New York Hobbyists are allowed to use drones for recreational flights but the tiny aircraft are not permitted within five miles of airports and they must be kept far from planes. Ken Honig, a former high-ranking official with the Port Authority, which operates major airports in New York City and some New Jersey cities, told NBC that drone operators probably don't realise the devastating damage they could cause. He said: "These planes are all being approached [by drones] while the planes are landing, so they're close to the ground, which means the pilot doesn't have a whole lot of room for manoeuvring. If the unmanned aerial vehicle gets too close to a plane, it could get sucked into a jet engine. The kind of damage done by a bird could be amplified by the metal parts in a UAV.