When a Drone Flies into a Jet Engine Bad Things Happen
The sky is crowded with airplanes, drones and animals, as evidenced by recent multiple near-collisions. As more drones take to the skies, pilots and engineers are increasingly concerned that a drone flying too close to an airplane might be sucked into the engine. Robert Harwood of ANSYS states that a drone strike would be much like a bird strike, but could cause significantly more damage to the engine. Engine regulations help to ensure that damage is localized if the engine blades break in the event of a collision.