Drone striking Southwest Airlines 737 -- how it was faked

[Jad Meouchy]

Originally Posted by Jeff Pulera

Surprised at the comments inferring that a drone strike to a car wouldn't do much damage. I recently caught a rock to the windshield and it almost broke all the way through. A drone weighing several pounds with a NiCad battery brick at 70+ MPH? No thank you sir.

Rock vs. Drone .... winner is always Rock

I'm definitely more worried about the rock hitting my windshield!

[Mark Watson]

A drone going into a jet engine might cause enough damage to endanger the flight. Something as dense as the battery could break off a part of a fan blade, which then rattles through the successive stages of the fan and compressor, breaking off more pieces of blades, so you get a growing path of damage. It would have to be a lucky hit, given the size of those engines and what they're designed to withstand.

I've seen what a flock of birds can do to a smaller jet engine in a fighter jet. Down in Australia, a jet was taking off or landing, don't remember which now, but it hit about 8 large black birds, like crows. Engine was severely damaged as were parts of the airframe. Pics show the engine blades torn, bent and twisted and pieces broken off. The wing pylon was crushed in, popping several rivets. All from just some birds.
Of course, it being Australia, naturally those were some badass birds, wearing spiked collars and sporting tattoos.

[John Nantz]

Talk about a rock hitting a windshield ...

Originally Posted by Gary Huff

Plus, most of the time you notice a rock is when it hits your windshield. Given the nature of a drone, hitting your windshield is odds I'd be willing to play. A rock kicked up from the ground by a truck or other vehicle is far more concerning.

That is for sure. I just recently experienced this. Going past a highway construction project, probably doing all of maybe 20 mph or so, a dump truck that had just left the construction site was traveling the opposite direction and a small rock, maybe 3/4 of an inch (~ 2 cm to some others) hit the windshield just about eye height sending chards of glass toward me. Had I not been wearing sunglasses it could have been much worse.

Originally Posted by Paul Reeber

Planes are designed to take bird strikes and they are much denser than drone.

Having flown into a GA airport near a bird refuge I can tell you that even at slow approach speeds bird strikes cause damage. I was always leery of the approach and the takeoff until I left the area.

There have been incidents of birds flying through the windshield and into the cockpit - and we're talking more than just feathers (blood and guts). This can cause major disruption to the person trying to fly the plane, not to mention all the wind, especially if it is a single engine plane with the prop up front!

[John Wiley]

Originally Posted by Mark Watson

A drone going into a jet engine might cause enough damage to endanger the flight. Something as dense as the battery could break off a part of a fan blade, which then rattles through the successive stages of the fan and compressor, breaking off more pieces of blades, so you get a growing path of damage. It would have to be a lucky hit, given the size of those engines and what they're designed to withstand.

Not to mention what can go wrong with a lithium-ion battery. They don't even let those into your checked baggage due to their possible explosive nature. I definitely don't think you want a potentially explosive object passing through a jet engine at 200mph.

Come to think of it, I don't really want a potentially explosive object falling onto the highway in front of me, or worse, onto my windshield, at terminal velocity either.

[Gary Huff]

Originally Posted by John Wiley

I definitely don't think you want a potentially explosive object passing through a jet engine at 200mph.

It sounds like you believe lithium ion batteries actually “explode” like in the kinds of explosions you see in movies and on TV. That’s not exactly what they do when ruptured. They emit fumes and can cause fires, they don’t actually “explode” unless you are overcharging it, which means taking the battery out of its housing and connecting a power source directly to it.

[Donald McPherson]

Whatever they do. I don't want one coming through the windscreen or a plane engine I'm in.

[Gary Huff]

Originally Posted by Donald McPherson

Whatever they do. I don't want one coming through the windscreen or a plane engine I'm in.

The odds that will happen to you are astronomical.

[John Wiley]

Originally Posted by Gary Huff

It sounds like you believe lithium ion batteries actually “explode” like in the kinds of explosions you see in movies and on TV. That’s not exactly what they do when ruptured. They emit fumes and can cause fires, they don’t actually “explode” unless you are overcharging it, which means taking the battery out of its housing and connecting a power source directly to it.

I'm a film-maker.

If I didn't believe everything in our world explodes on impact then I wouldn't be able to do my job.

[Donald McPherson]

Probably more chance of being hit on the head by lightning.

[Gary Huff]

Originally Posted by Donald McPherson

Probably more chance of being hit on the head by lightning.

You're actually more likely to be murdered than you have of your airplane getting hit by a drone.

[Tim Ribich]

Originally Posted by Paul Reeber

Planes are designed to take bird strikes and they are much denser than drone. I don't think a drone could do any significant damage.

>>Drones are made of materials much denser and stiffer than soft tissues and muscles of geese and other airborne animals. Simulations show that when a bird goes into an engine, it's essentially liquidized by spinning blades, like a macabre episode of "Will It Blend." Not so with a drone.<<

What Really Happens When a Drone Strikes an Airplane

[Gary Huff]

Of course, it’s helpful to know that the drone in question from that study is 8lbs and a design that is being conceived to deliver packages, not the typical Mavics and Phantoms (2-3lbs). According to the article that the simulation video is sourced from:

This is the drone size that one European country has sanctioned for their postal services to deliver packages to high altitudes. The work is not based on any organization’s request. We are able to model a variety of different drone sizes and models. We chose this model as a demonstrator, because it was one of the larger size commercial drones available that is capable of carrying large weights and reaching higher ceilings.

http://www.techenstein.com/what-happ...-surprise-you/

[Noa Put]

Originally Posted by Paul Reeber

Planes are designed to take bird strikes and they are much denser than drone. I don't think a drone could do any significant damage.

I saw below video recently, if a drone would be harmless to a plane I don't take they would take such measures to avoid it :)

YouTube (Short URL)

[Gary Huff]

That drone sighting was unconfirmed. I recall a similar incident where a supposed drone strike on an airplane at Heathrow turned out to be anything but, possibly even just a plastic bag.

So, yes, if you call in that you think you saw a drone near an airport, you can wreak all kinds of havoc, even though for DJI drones, those are no-fly areas with their software.

[Chuck Spaulding]

Originally Posted by Noa Put

I saw below video recently, if a drone would be harmless to a plane I don't take they would take such measures to avoid it :)

https://youtu.be/SdfVIdsufI8

This is a solution in search of a problem.