El Cajon, California: Cessna evades drone near Gillespie Field, flights halted over 30 minutes
On March 1, 2025, the pilot of a Cessna 172 near Gillespie Field in El Cajon, California, took evasive action to avoid a drone, which then trailed the aircraft; air operations were suspended for more than 30 minutes, and a sheriff's helicopter could not locate the drone.
Background
On March 1, 2025, near Gillespie Field in El Cajon, California, the pilot of a Cessna 172 was forced to take evasive action to avoid a potential midair collision with a drone. Tower personnel confirmed the UAV was flying at 1,000 feet, about half a mile west of the airport. The drone began trailing the Cessna, prompting authorities to suspend all air operations at Gillespie for more than 30 minutes. A San Diego County Sheriff's Department helicopter was dispatched, but deputies could not locate the drone. The account follows the entry in George M. Eberhart's chronology UFOs and Intelligence (CUFOS) and the sources cited there; it is not an independent determination by From Beyond Space.