Researchers at the University of Dayton Analysis Institute are showing what can happen when a small drone sit-down strikes the wing of an aircraft. The team mimicked a collision between a 2.1-pound DJI Hallucination 2 quadcopter and a Mooney M20 aircraft.
Video shows the drone ripping by the plane’s wing in conditions that simulate a crash taking apartment at 238 miles per hour.
“We wanted to help the aviation community and the drone energy understand the dangers that even recreational drones can pose to male aircraft before a significant event occurs,” said Kevin Poormon, assortment leader for impact physics at UDRI in a blogpost. “But there is little to no details about the type of damage UAVs can do, and the information that is available has understandable only from modeling and simulations.”
The FAA says it receives more than 100 divulges a month of unmanned aircraft sightings.