Drones — with their motors, batteries and other rigid components — can cause more damage than birds of the same weight when they collide with manned aircraft, according to a study conducted for the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) by a team of university researchers.1
The FAA said the findings of the Alliance for System Safety of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Through Research Excellence (ASSURE)2 would be used in developing risk-mitigation requirements for drones.
“While the effects of bird impacts on airplanes are well documented, little is known about the effects of more rigid and higher mass sUAS [small UAS] on aircraft structures and propulsion systems,” said researcher Marty Rogers of Mississippi State University, director of ASSURE. “The results of this work are critical to the safety of commercial air travel here in the United States and around the world.”
In a report summary, ASSURE said that its researchers “set out to a…
