It (Sorta?) Finally Happened – Drone Collides with 737 Passenger Plane

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Well, there’s no easy way to say it: It finally happened. Sorta.

A drone and a passenger plane possibly hit each other during the plane’s landing procedure in Tijuana, Mexico. The investigation into the accident’s cause is still underway, but that didn’t stop the Internet from doing its own sleuthing initially.

Though it is an oft-discussed scenario, drone and aircraft collision stories are still pretty rare when you consider just how many drones are actually out there.

The 737, owned by airline Grupo Aeromexico SAB, suffered extensive nose damage but, thankfully, no passengers were hurt. Speculation that it was a drone that caused the damage comes from the aircraft’s own crew which reported hearing a “very strong blow” to body. (We did a story about a study that detailed the potential damage a drone collision could have with a passenger plane. You can read that story here).

Reports about it being a drone collision mainly come from social media which spread the crew’s comments on the incident as fact. Keeping in mind that there is no way the crew could know with certainty that a drone hit the plane should temper inclinations to jump to conclusions, but it hasn't.

The incident is still under investigation. Aeromexico briefed the press on the event, saying “The exact cause is still being investigated…The aircraft landed normally and the passengers’ safety was never compromised.”

Drones are probably one of the fastest growing segments in the consumer electronics segment and are contributing more and more to photography and videography every day. But they’re not without their problems: Namely, users that can’t pilot them, do so irresponsibly, or malfunctioning units that don’t fly as planned. No doubt things will get better as drone tech – and general awareness – improve.

If you would like to read some of our other drone-related stories, you can do that by clicking here.

About Author

Kehl is our staff photography news writer since 2017 and has over a decade of experience in online media and publishing and you can get to know him better here and follow him on Insta.

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