Toy drones pose more risk to planes than birds, study says
Alan Levin
Even small toy drones can pose a significant hazard to conventional planes and helicopters in a collision, according to a study.
Drones will “most certainly” cause more damage to aircraft than birds, which have caused airliners to crash, according to the study by Texas group Aero Kinetics Aviation. Drones are made of solid plastics, batteries and metal, which cause greater damage in a collision compared to bird flesh, the study found.
“A head-on drone strike into the inlet of a turbine engine on a commercial airliner on approach or departure would cause severe damage to the engine and potentially a catastrophic failure,” the company said in the study.
