Drone Strikes Massive Plane Filled with Passengers in Mexico, Unconfirmed Reports Say
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Image Credit: Jevgenij Kulikov via iStock
Passengers and crew on a Boeing 737 attempting to land in Tijuana on Wednesday heard a “pretty loud bang,” according to a cabin recording, that many are claiming was the plane crashing into a drone.
Grupo Aeromexico, the airline in charge of the plane, released a statement saying that the “cause is still being investigated,” but that the “aircraft landed normally and the passengers’ safety was never compromised,” according to the Chicago Tribune.
Images portrayed on local media, including on social medias, showed the nose of the plane with chunks of metal removed and smashed in.
Desde Tijuana nos hacen llegar estas imágenes del Radomo de un B737 de Aeromexico en Tijuana.
— FsMex.com (@FsMexcom) December 12, 2018
Nuestra fuente indica que se trató de un impacto a un dron en la aproximación final. pic.twitter.com/YJhKVGKY4W
2018-12-12 Aeromexico B737-800 (XA-ADV) sustained damage to its radome on approach to runway 09 at Tijuana-Intl AP (MMTJ), Mexico. Flight #AM770 from Guadalajara landed safely. Unconfirmed reports indicate the aircraft may have hit a drone. https://t.co/L7aG5OlLDp pic.twitter.com/g0Mfpw1po3
— JACDEC (@JacdecNew) December 13, 2018
Only one flight in the United States has crashed into a drone, and it was an Army helicopter in 2017. No injuries were reported in that crash either.
While most countries ban the use of drones in the flight path of major airlines, many users, especially novice users, may not follow or be aware of these rules.
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One study by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board found that while drones would cause more damage to airplanes than a bird of the same size due to its metal parts, the crashes would not prove to be catastrophic.
Thankfully, so far this is the truth.
The Mexican airplane is grounded until further notice.
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Via Chicago Tribune and PetaPixel