Drone crashed into plane in Netherlands today

[RuudF]

I just saw this in a news item on the national news on the RTL4 network in the Netherlands.
2 people flew in a Cessna plane at 600 M high.
They reported a loud bang and a Apache helicopter from a nearby base flew by the plane to check for damage. All 3 wheels were still oke and the plane landed.
After the landing a large dent was found in the fuselage on the side of the plane just behind the engine (prop not jet). The dent was a narrow gash about 5 cm long and about 1 cm wide and the paint was gone.

What I find very strange and even suspicious that this damage can be done by a drone hitting the plan from the side when the speed can't be that fast to cause this amount of damage.

My question is to you: what is your instinct about this?

Ruud

Enclosed a report by the dutch police about this.
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Sportvliegtuig botst vermoedelijk met drone​

Laatste update:07-11-2020 | 13:16Woordvoering:Landelijke Eenheid
Eindhoven - Op vrijdagmiddag 6 november moest een sportvliegtuig halsoverkop terugkeren naar Eindhoven Airport na een botsing met hoogstwaarschijnlijk een drone. Niemand raakte gewond, maar er ontstond wel schade aan het vliegtuig.

Omstreeks 14.45 uur vlogen twee personen op ongeveer 600 meter hoogte in het sportvliegtuig. Ter hoogte van de plaatsen Aalst en Veen, in de buurt van het recreatiegebied de Neswaarden, hoorden de vliegers een harde klap en voelden dat iets tegen het vliegtuig was gebotst. De vliegers besloten direct terug te keren naar de Eindhoven Airport. Daar vroeg de piloot aan de luchtverkeersleiding om het landingsgestel op schade te inspecteren door langs de toren te vliegen. Hierop heeft de luchtverkeersleiding een in de buurt vliegende Apache helikopter van de Koninklijke Luchtmacht gevraagd om de inspectie vanuit de lucht uit te voeren. Er zijn geen beschadigingen aan het landingsgestel waargenomen en is een voorzorgslanding gemaakt die verder goed verliep. Er is een deuk geconstateerd aan de neus van het toestel en schade aan de propeller, waarschijnlijk veroorzaakt door een drone. Sporenonderzoek door het team Luchtvaarttoezicht van de Landelijke Eenheid sluit uit dat de schade is veroorzaakt door een botsing met een vogel.

Gevaar​

De politie zoekt getuigen en wil de dronebestuurder graag spreken. Verder wijst de politie op de gevaren die kunnen ontstaan als dronevliegers zich niet aan de regels houden. Er is een limiet ingesteld van 120 meter hoogte voor drones. Daarnaast moeten ze in het zicht van de vlieger blijven.

​

 

[Thomas B]

I just saw this in a news item on the national news on the RTL4 network in the Netherlands.
2 people flew in a Cessna plane at 600 M high.
They reported a loud bang and a Apache helicopter from a nearby base flew by the plane to check for damage. All 3 wheels were still oke and the plane landed.
After the landing a large dent was found in the fuselage on the side of the plane just behind the engine (prop not jet). The dent was a narrow gash about 5 cm long and about 1 cm wide and the paint was gone.

What I find very strange and even suspicious that this damage can be done by a drone hitting the plan from the side when the speed can't be that fast to cause this amount of damage.

My question is to you: what is your instinct about this?

Ruud

Is there an English translation of the report?
This kind of damage can be done by a drone. Previous U.S. testing has shown this.

What is missing from this post, so far, is how anyone knew it was a drone which hit the Cessna.

 

[RuudF]

Sorry Thomas, no translation available but you can use google translate of course.

And how do they now it had to be a drone.....well they jump to to conclusions don't they?

Police concluded damage couldn't be caused by a bird.

Ruud

 

[Thomas B]

Sorry Thomas, no translation available but you can use google translate of course.

And how do they now it had to be a drone.....well they jump to to conclusions don't they?

Police concluded damage couldn't be caused by a bird.

Ruud

Police, no doubt used all their aeronautical expertise.
Understand.... I’ll Translate.
Can you post a link?

 

[RuudF]

I posted a copy of the report inside my first original post.

Please scroll to the top .

Ruud

 

[Thomas B]

I posted a copy of the report inside my first original post.

Please scroll to the top .

Ruud

Sorry... thanks for answering. Apologies for my ignorance.

 

[dozzn]

Any photos of the damage? I would say 600 meters is too high to be flying a drone even if it was legaI. I rarely fly higher than 250 ft.

 

[RuudF]

There are several sites reporting on the story.
Unfortunately all in Dutch.
Also no photo of the damage.
But when you visit the site: www.rtlnieuws.nl and look for "uitzendingen" Dutch for broadcasts then look for the broadcast of tonight.
There is a short clip of the plane PH-BBC visible with the damage.

Ruud

 

[Thomas B]

English translation:
Eindhoven - On Friday afternoon, November 6, a sports plane had to return headlong to Eindhoven Airport after a collision with a drone. No one was injured, but damage did occur to the aircraft.
Police logo on hood of police car
At around 2.45 pm, two people flew in the sports plane at an altitude of approximately 600 meters. Near the places Aalst and Veen, near the Neswaarden recreational area, the pilots heard a loud bang and felt that something had collided with the aircraft. The pilots decided to return to Eindhoven Airport immediately. There, the pilot asked air traffic control to inspect the landing gear for damage by flying past the tower. Air traffic control asked a nearby flying Apache helicopter of the Royal Netherlands Air Force to carry out the inspection from the air. No damage to the landing gear was observed and a precautionary landing was made, which went well. There was a dent in the nose of the aircraft and damage to the propeller, probably caused by a drone. Trace investigation by the Aviation Supervision team of the National Unit rules out that the damage was caused by a collision with a bird.
Danger

The police are looking for witnesses and would like to speak to the drone driver. The police also points out the dangers that can arise if drone pilots do not comply with the rules. A limit of 120 meters height has been set for drones. In addition, they must remain within sight of the pilot.

I have to wonder? While a hack of drone software is possible... the reported altitude is well above the altitude limit programmed into the drone.

My thoughts:

No one saw a drone and no evidence that it was a drone is in the article. So based on the article it’s just supposition.

Further developments will be interesting. @RuudF please keep us informed.

 

[RuudF]

If you want to listen to the radio traffic between tower and PH-BBC and the Airforce Apache.
Visit website www.upinthesky.nl
Scroll down in the story and find a 5 min clip with the radio communications.

Ruud

 

[icecoldgin]

Hmmmm, Dutch police now monitoring this forum for any post entitled "Drone crashed from 600m and survived" ?

 

[RuudF]

I just watched a rerun of the news item.
This time on the SBS6 network.
Maybe I was mistaken about the RTL4 network and it was SBS6 all the time.
But this doesn't change the news item and the fact of the crash....

Ruud

 

[RuudF]

I was able to freeze the broadcast of the item on my tv and I took a picture of the damage.
Judging by the size of the screw in the picture my initial estimate of the size was way to big.

I now think a maximum of 2 cm damage is visible somewhere behind the landing gear because a wheel is visible.

Please see the photo enclosed

 

[gemniii]

Any photos of the damage? I would say 600 meters is too high to be flying a drone even if it was legaI. I rarely fly higher than 250 ft.

There's another thread on this forum of a mini doing a "fly away" and going to 900 meters, just about straight up, then falling.

 

[RuudF]

It is not a question if any drone can reach this altitude: yes they can.
There is plenty of idiots on YT who post their vids of record high en far flights.

But any mini or mavic doesn't have enough mass to cause such a dent.

It has to be bigger and heavier according to me.

But what do you think?
I am aware that we are speculating and the truth probably will never come out.

Ruud

 

[gemniii]

It is not a question if any drone can reach this altitude: yes they can.
There is plenty of idiots on YT who post their vids of record high en far flights.

But any mini or mavic doesn't have enough mass to cause such a dent.

It has to be bigger and heavier according to me.

But what do you think?
I am aware that we are speculating and the truth probably will never come out.

Ruud

My point was that it could have been a drone NOT under control.

 

[passedpawn]

The drones we fly are made of plastic, mostly. I doubt it could cause that dent shown there. Not really sure though. Small aircraft skin is 0.020" or 0.032" aluminum, which isn't a lot, and of course aluminum is malleable. But looking at that picture, intuitively it looks more like something else. I'm guessing a piece of skylab.

 

[jimlips]

The drones we fly are made of plastic, mostly. I doubt it could cause that dent shown there. Not really sure though. Small aircraft skin is 0.020" or 0.032" aluminum, which isn't a lot, and of course aluminum is malleable. But looking at that picture, intuitively it looks more like something else. I'm guessing a piece of skylab.

Seriously, there are thousands of tiny meteorites that strike the earth every year. Just one of these could probably make a dent like that one. But it is easier to just say a drone did it, even though there is no evidence other than a dent.

I also don't understand the photo that was posted of the dent. That looks like it is on the front of the plane, yet the landing gear rotation is perpendicular to the dent, according to the photo. Almost like the strike was on the side of the plane.

 

[RuudF]

Exactly Jimlips,

That is what I find to be hard to believe that this is a dronehit.
It seems to me it is a easy jump to conclusion.

From the before mentioned website upinthesky where there is a 5 min clip of the radiotraffic I took a screenshot of the Cessna.
I also think the dent must be on the side and not the front of the plane.

 

[Deleted member 114292]

A piece of Styrofoam can rip a shuttle wing open. So all bets are off as far as your guessing.