This accident probably left the black boxes fully recoverable, so real data should be available to the accident investigators soon. No need to pander to knee-jerk conspiracy theorists about hypothetical GPS drone attacks.
The typical consumer grade quadcopter probably doesn't have enough mass to constitute a serious threat anyway. I bet a golden BB attack would have a higher probability of success.
“Furthermore an engine taken out by something in the compressor would be sending out bursts of flame and smoke in profuse quantity, especially if it was a full power (as it would be, especially at that airport).”
Good point.
“No need to pander to knee-jerk conspiracy theorists about hypothetical GPS drone attacks.”
The Runway Kill Zone blog does not claim that this crash WAS caused by terrorists. The blog attempts to educate officials and the public to the emerging threat posed by terrorists who can now reverse-engineer bird-strike type engine failures in the V1-VR “kill zone” which would look a lot like this crash profile.
“The typical consumer grade quadcopter probably doesn’t have enough mass to constitute a serious threat anyway.”
As pointed out up-thread, tiny kestrel birds brought down 747!
Here are the stats on the kestrel:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Kestrel
Common Kestrels measure 32–39 cm (13–15 in) from head to tail, with a wingspan of 65–82 cm (26–32 in). Females are noticeably larger, with the adult male weighing 136-252 g (c,5-9 oz), around 155 g (around 5.5 oz) on average; the adult female weighs 154-314 g (about 5.5-11 oz), around 184 g (around 6.5 oz) on average.