The crew firmly believed the plane had struck a drone. We reported earlier this week about a Cessna 172 in Buttonville, Ontario, Canada, that collided with a drone at 500 feet above ground level as it was approaching to land. Ouch. It turned out that the drone in question was being operated by the city’s police department. Double ouch.
In the instance where the E175 hit something hard, the FAA promptly relayed the pilots’ report of hitting a drone. And when such a situation arises, the federal authorities step in and are highly proficient at locating the individual flying the remote-controlled craft.
However, in this case, it will be somewhat more challenging.
The FAA now claims that the plane did not strike a drone but, rather, a Mylar balloon, such as the ones seen at birthday parties or baby showers. Truly, they can be seen everywhere. Years ago, the pilot of an aerobatic plane intentionally struck a Mylar balloon he noticed floating nearby, only to severely damage the leading edge of the wing he made contact with. No one was injured, but it still served as an expensive lesson on just how tough these balloons can be.
There has even been a new term coined for the phenomenon of various objects floating around at flying altitudes – “jetsom”, a play on the word “flotsam”, which, of course, refers to objects drifting around in the sea.
While the FAA has established registries for drones and drone operators, it has not created one for Mylar balloons or their operators.
“172 vs. Drone: 172 Wins, But Local Police Have Some Explaining to Do”
