B777 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 94; Flight Crew Total 9656; Flight Crew Type 674
Situational Awareness
Conflict Airborne Conflict
General None Reported / Taken
Human Factors; Airspace Structure
Hyper 7 RNAV (STAR) over YACKK @ 4;000 ft. First Officer stated as he was looking forward/down and something caught his attention. He stated 'as we passed over it; looking down at approximately 1;000 ft below us' it appeared to be a drone. This was reported to Approach Control. After landing RWY 1R; IAD Tower requested a verbal description and the First Officer described seeing the cross pattern of the drone from above; half mile north of YACKK.
I was pilot flying approximately 1/2 mile N of YACKK fix on Hyper 7 Arrival. Saw what I thought was a small balloon just to the right of our flight path and below us approximately 1/4 mile ahead. I leaned forward to get a better view of the balloon as it passed below us and it was clearly a drone. I saw the X pattern and white fuselage that looked to me like a DJI Phantom drone (I fly drones and am familiar). The drone was below our flight path but MUCH higher than the 400 ft altitude restriction on them. I am just estimating but believe it was at approximately 2500-3000 ft. I could be off on altitude somewhat but it was well above 400 ft. The other pilots did not see the drone. By the time I realized what it was it was passing below us.
B-777 flight crew reported passing over a drone by 1000 feet while at 4000 feet on the HYPER 7 ARRIVIAL into IAD.