07-23-2017, 08:06 AM
As a follow up to my earlier post on Parafield..
Quote:Bat, not drone, blamed for light plane collision during landing at Parafield Airport
Earlier this month, a pilot reported hitting what he thought was a drone when landing at the airport in Adelaide's northern suburbs.
"After landing, the instructor conducted an inspection of the aircraft and found minor damage to the right wing," the ATSB said in a statement on its website.
"As there were no visible signs of biological matter, he contacted the control tower and reported the incident as a possible drone strike."
Investigators from the ATSB searched the area the morning after the incident, but could not find the reported object.
Today it announced it was calling off the investigation, after swabs from the plane were sent to the Australian Museum for DNA testing.
That testing revealed the object hit was most likely a grey-headed flying-fox, from the bat family.
The ATSB said "there [was] little potential for the enhancement of transport safety through further investigation" of the incident.
It said it had now discontinued the investigation.