They are small, cheap and easy to fly — and may one day bring down a jetliner.
Two “quadcopter” drones were spotted by inbound pilots at JFK this week in restricted airspace around the runways, federal officials said. One of them came within 5 to 10 feet of a Delta airliner’s wing Sunday evening.
“It was extremely close,” an FBI official told The Post.
The Delta pilot and a Virgin Atlantic crew reported the drone between 2,000 and 3,000 feet in the air and about 10 miles from the runways at 8 p.m.
On Wednesday, a JetBlue pilot spotted a drone at 1:50 p.m. about two miles from the airport between 300 and 400 feet in the air.
Two more drones were spotted by a helicopter near the 59th Street Bridge at 3 p.m. Thursday at about 500 feet, sources said.
Drone operators must keep their aircraft under 400 feet in altitude and at least five miles from an airport.
“The reports did not indicate any of the pilots took evasive action,” FAA spokesman Jim Peters said. “All three flights landed safely.”
Sources said the drone operators were likely hobbyists, but experts said that even if the intentions aren’t evil, disaster could result.
“If left unchecked, it’s an accident waiting to happen,” Patrick Smith, an airline pilot and author, told The Post. “Rules exist, but many drone operators either don’t know about them or ignore them.”