PSA: This is what happens when a drone hits the wing of an airplane
(Digital Photography Review)

The University of Dayton Research Institute (UDRI) has published a video showing the damage caused by a consumer drone when it strikes the wing of a fixed-wing aircraft. The test simulated life-like conditions, the end result mimicking the collision of a quadcopter with the wing of an aircraft at 238MPH / 383kph. Despite weighing only 2.1lbs / 952g, the drone tore a large hole in the wing, ultimately causing damage to its main spar. UDRI`s group leader for impact physics Kevin Poormon said in a university release that the drone caused `significant damage` to the structure. Both the video and test results were recently presented at the Unmanned Systems Academic Summit. The test follows decades of bird-strike research involving aircraft, the data necessary in a world where consumer drone numbers have skyrocketed. Talking about the topic, Poormon explained: Drones are similar in weight to some birds, and so we´ve watched with growing concern as reports of near collisions have increased, and even more so after the collision last year between an Army Blackhawk helicopter and a hobby drone that the operator flew beyond his line of site. Earlier this year, a video surfaced of a drone pilot operating their UAV directly above a passenger jet as it left McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas. Similar reports of reckless activity have surfaced in recent months, such as an investigation into a possibly drone-related helicopter crash earlier this year and a drone-plane collision in Canada late last year.