Mystery in the sky: Wilmington residents debate whether it’s a drone or an airplane

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) –Around 8 p.m. on Thursday, several people in the Wilmington area reported seeing what they believe was a drone flying in the sky.

Amanda Mitchell was in the Myrtle Grove area when she first noticed the strange lights. She’s not alone in her sighting. Others near Carolina Beach Road also observed something similar. While some wonder if this could be linked to the recent drone activity in New Jersey, others speculate that it might just be an airplane.

We spoke with Travis Mitchell, who shared his experience:

“Is that an airplane? You know, just kind of curious with everything that’s been going on. Within a minute or so, it was obvious that it wasn’t something I had seen before. Making very little sound, the lights were different, the shape was different—it was pretty large.”

He added, “Some of them were flying very close to each other. I’ve never seen planes fly that close to each other. Usually, you see one here and one way over here in a different direction.”

We reached out to both the Wilmington Police Department and the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office. Both agencies confirmed they have not received any reports about the mysterious sightings.

Additionally, we contacted Wilmington International Airport, but they also had no records of any unusual flight activity in the area.

A spokesperson with Wilmington Police said that, although there were no reports of illegal drone activity, they believe the lights could be from “planes flying at high altitude.” However, nothing has been confirmed.

We also reached out to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to see if they might be investigating. The FAA explained that drones flying at or below 400 feet are legal.