DRONE STRIKE! I'm not kidding...

It was a sunny day, the roads were clear and though heavy, traffic was moving nicely in Dunwoody, Georgia.

Suddenly, without warning, a drone descended from the sky...a DRONE! No, I'm not kidding. A drone. The personal kind that you can buy and mount with a Go-Pro camera.

Looks like this:



As near as I can determine, equipped with a Go Pro camera, these cost around $1200. They're very stable and take incredibly good video.

Alas, it was not to be!

It descended down toward my 2013 Leaf S and SMACK!!!

A DRONE STRIKE!

Traveling around 45 m.p.h., there was little I could do to avoid this. Other vehicles all around and no place to pull over. I could see small parts making their final flight, but as they always say in cases like this: "Gee, it was over in an instant!"

When I arrived home, I checked the damage.



You can see where the DJI Phantom 2 Vision's little propellers whipped across the finish. Folks, these drones only weigh 41 ounces. They are quite durable, but this one had to be toast!

All damage to the LEAF appears to be superficial. The white paint transfer is from the drone itself. The bright white mark above the propeller residue is only a reflection.

But the memory card in the "Phantom" drone should have survived. Keep your eyes peeled to YouTube and maybe we'll get to see the actual drone strike, if the user posts it. Now I wish I had pulled over and looked for the drone operator...there was no one in sight.

Thought I would share as this is NOT something you see every day! But you know what? We're going to see, hear and read more about this kind of close encounter as the use of drones expands and the public gets into the act.

A guy at work did a demo of the quad copter in your photo. He has his equipped with video camera, has red and green lights at night, plus an LED headlight he put on. Really awesome, has a GPS so that if it loses contact with the operator it automatically returns to the spot it took off and lands there. No UFO reports that I know of after his night demo. :lol:

That is very bad news indeed. As an avid R/C aircraft flier, I hate to see such events. While most fly by the rules, there are enough that put their personal enjoyment above the safety and consideration of others that they will cause undue regulation of all.

Since the OP saw no person nearby, the qudra-chopper was probably being flown as First Person Video - that is, the operator was guiding the aircraft by viewing the video.

These aren't capable of sending back live video. That takes a big boy. They record the video to a memory card and you can retrieve it then.

The RC operator may have been behind me, but it's a half mile stretch with no turnouts, divided 4 lane highway. As Stoaty noted, these are designed for the possibility of you losing radio contact, in which case a GPS kicks in and returns to the "launch site."

I may take it to the local community newspaper to see if they want to do a little story about it -- and maybe the guy at the controls will come forward. The damage to the car is much more dramatic in that photo than in real life. Ahhhh, THANKSGIVING! ;-)

So "That'll buff out" might actually be true in this case?

(At least for your car, if not for the drone.)

Oh, I hope so, Boomer23!

I'll take a closer look in the cold light of day. Some of it will definitely "buff out," but that nasty little slice below the prop marks may take a bit more.

Obviously, it's way below any deductible. I may show it to a friend in the body business tomorrow to get an expert opinion.

Honestly, I'm not looking to punish the drone operator. While it may seem undeniable he/she was responsible, from what I remember it was just dropping altitude very close to the edge of the roadway. A straight, steady vertical drop.

Battery power failure?

Well, we should understand THAT! ;-)

Gearscout said:

These aren't capable of sending back live video. That takes a big boy. They record the video to a memory card and you can retrieve it then.

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On the contrary. I don't know that in your instance FPV (First Person Video) was involved (nor do you since you don't have the pieces), but several people have indeed equipped the DJI PHANTOM with a video transmitting capability, and flown them FPV.

And, here is a video of an irresponsible person intentionally flying out of video range. He got back, but could have just as well dropped it on the highway. Although small and light, such an event could cause an unsuspecting driver to swerve into the other lane, off the road, or whatever. His enjoyment came first - the hell with the others out there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgYbgg2hFF4

And there are others out there doing the same stupid stuff with the larger and heavier crafts that could cause serious damage or injuries. The "me first" generation, I guess. They have a good chance of spoiling the hobby for all of us.

Can't argue with that, Ebill3. I never really got a good enough look to see more than the 4 propellers and the red stripes on a white drone!

My company just bought a few of them and they were on display last week -- that's why I even recognized what it was! That's when I asked about the live video feed and they said "Not on this one." But you're right, amateur RC operators do some pretty incredible things with their devices.

(I now wish I would have slowed down and stopped to inspect the wreckage. But it is an uphill run and as Stoaty advises, NEVER slow down or you lose momentum! ;-) That's sounds like a joke, Stoaty, but I instinctively take your advice seriously! Plus, I did have a guy riding my tail who probably didn't see ANY of what had happened. It would have been very dicey to pull to a halt at that spot. Even if I went up the road and performed a complicated turnaround against traffic, there's nowhere to park on either side of the road in that stretch.

Again, what makes this interesting is that there are more an more of these 'drones' and your video really brings that out. Thanks for the note, EBill3!

Gearscout said:

I now wish I would have slowed down and stopped to inspect the wreckage. But it is an uphill run and as Stoaty advises, NEVER slow down or you lose momentum! ;-)

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I think I might make an exception for a drone strike. I'm glad no civilians were injured or killed as often happens in Pakistan/Afganistan.

I think I might make an exception for a drone strike.

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OK, there we have it. There are rules, Ladies and Gentlemen and then, "There are Rules!"

;-)

Was there a pizza* box nearby? I've heard these will be used to deliver them "in the future". If nothing else, you might have got a free meal for your trouble... ;-)

* or Amazon, LOL





Edit: added Amazon footnote the day after Bezos announced his drone project on 60 Minutes and everywhere.

While I agree whole-heartedly with ebill3 (there are a lot of idiots getting these craft who will ruin it for the rest of us), it is possible this incident wasn't the operators fault. There are many upset Phantom owners who have had their Phantom just fly away never to be seen again. Enough that many are adding tracking devices. That operator is out >$1K between the Phantom and his/her GoPro. I don't feel sorry for them if they were deliberately flying near a busy road but those craft can cover several miles before the battery gives out and it has to come down somewhere. I also own the very model DJI phantom referenced in the OP (also tricked out with FPV - which is a blast). Used it to take this photo. Mine is constantly broadcasting GPS coordinates superimposed on the FPV video feed which, I hope, will enable me to track it down should it ever try to fly back home to Taiwan.

OK, SUNPWRD...but should I call the NSA?

Nah. If they haven't phoned you by now, they don't care!

Taiwan? What a great spot! I love going there.

I really worry sometimes that my humor on these boards might be misinterpreted. (And that the NSA is watching.) Damn. It's a whole new world, isn't it?

Never mind. There's leftover Turkey in the fridge! ;-)

And it didn't occur to you to stop when you got hit, you just drove on?? I own and operate a quadcopter, and fly it responsibly I might add. But if one of them hit my car I'd be looking to wrap it around the owners neck!

Nah, they already know. It is quite commendable how you kept your temper and positive attitude. Not sure I would have (but I would have probably stopped... for spare parts ;-)).

Gearscout said:

OK, SUNPWRD...but should I call the NSA?

Nah. If they haven't phoned you by now, they don't care!

Taiwan? What a great spot! I love going there.

I really worry sometimes that my humor on these boards might be misinterpreted. (And that the NSA is watching.) Damn. It's a whole new world, isn't it?

Never mind. There's leftover Turkey in the fridge! ;-)

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I think (most) of you guys are really going way overboard on this. In the end it was the OP's fault for not stopping and collecting the evidence. I mean come on.. REALLY?? :roll:

This is what I do and I've checked all of my connections and websites (including the DJI user sites) and nothing has been posted.. probably a new user that didn't have RTH setup on his gear and the NAZA flew away... Buuuubye!!..

It happens... it's just an RF link.. so don't blame the gear.. the owner (maybe a black Friday newbie).. or anything else for matter except youself for not stopping and pulling over and collecting the gear.

For all you know, this guy was flying in a sanctioned AMA field and the thing just bolted off... AND IT HAPPENS ALOT!

Out.

P.S. I'm sorry what happen to the Leaf

Maybe Jeff Bezos was using you as a beta test :lol:

Better watch out everyone :mrgreen:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2013/12/01/amazon-bezos-drone-delivery/3799021/

http://www.businessweek.com/news/20...octocopters-for-delivery-ceo-tells-60-minutes

http://www.theguardian.com/technolo...ialling-the-use-of-drones-for-parcel-delivery

Out.

JasonA said:

I think (most) of you guys are really going way overboard on this. In the end it was the OP's fault for not stopping and collecting the evidence. I mean come on.. REALLY?? :roll:

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I don't understand the meaning of "fault" in this context. How is any of this incident the OP's "fault"? His car was smacked by an RC aircraft.

... don't blame ... anything else ... except youself for not stopping and pulling over and collecting the gear.

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Again. "Blame"!? You think the victim of this accident is somehow obligated to stop in traffic and pick up the pieces of the drone that hit his car? :?

An "accident"/impact occurred of a vehicle on the highway.. I'm sure there was a place to pull over.. Surely(don't call me that) would have been if ANOTHER "motor" vehicle was involved :roll:

But "Stoaty's Rules".. never stop!! gotta save those KW's!!! :lol: Keep on rolling!!!

And the blame does fall on the driver of ANY vehicle in an accident..not stopping at highway speed to look or see?

This is like the airline pilot who saw the "multi-roto" come close to his jet while he was going 400+ mph... but yet while on ILS approach was able to describe in almost EXACT DETAIL everything about a 8"x1' quad wizzing by :roll:

Plz... this is an argument you'll loose.. You know how many DJI Phantom "clones" there are out now??

Atleast 9 different ones that look ALMOST alike :lol:

Amazing details.. for highway speed in side by side traffic :roll: :lol: