Cessna 182T Hit by Drone MIDAIR | Military Apache Rushes to the Rescue

A Cessna 182T on a proficiency flight struck an object at about 1,400 feet near Veen in the Netherlands. The crew initially treated it as a possible bird strike before a military helicopter was brought in to inspect the aircraft.

The Strike

The Cessna was conducting a proficiency-check flight when it struck an object. The pilots initially believed they might have encountered a bird and were concerned that the landing gear could have been damaged.

The incident occurred at about 1,400 feet. The crew had to determine whether the aircraft remained suitable for continued flight while also considering the possibility of structural or landing-gear damage.

The Apache Check

An AH-64 Apache operated by the Royal Netherlands Air Force was in the area. The helicopter performed an in-flight visual inspection of the Cessna.

The inspection found no visible damage to the undercarriage. That gave the Cessna crew enough confidence to continue the recovery to Eindhoven.

What Hit the Cessna?

The aircraft returned to Eindhoven and landed normally at about 12:54 UTC. Damage was found on the nose and propeller.

The first assessment by the crew was a bird strike. Their concern was practical: if the landing gear had been damaged, the aircraft's ability to return and land would have been affected. The presence of an Apache in the area provided an unusual opportunity to inspect the aircraft before committing to the landing.

The Apache inspection was especially useful because the aircraft was already airborne and could not simply be examined on the ground before the return. A helicopter operating nearby could look at the Cessna without forcing it to remain in the air any longer than necessary.

The normal landing at Eindhoven closed the immediate emergency. The later damage assessment explains why the object strike was taken seriously even though the landing gear remained usable.

the pilots initially assumed the aircraft had suffered a bird strike

The normal landing at Eindhoven meant that the crew could inspect the aircraft after the flight rather than discovering the extent of the damage during an attempted landing. The record's use of the word 'assumed' for the drone identification is retained because the object itself was not conclusively identified.

“On 07 November 2020, During a prof check flight, a Cessna 182T struck an object while in flight at an altitude of about 1400 feet close to Veen, the Netherlands.”

Accident Facts

Timeline

Sources