What happens when a an unmanned aircraft system (UAS, or more popularly, drone) gets ingested by a jet engine? The FAA is going to find out.
The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2016 states that “in continuation of ongoing work, shall coordinate a program to conduct comprehensive testing or modeling of unmanned aircraft systems colliding with various sized aircraft in various operational settings, as considered appropriate by the FAA, including subpart (4)(D) Collisions between unmanned aircraft systems and various parts of an aircraft, including an engine.” Congressional Mandate, H. R. 636 – FAA Extension, Safety, and Security Act of 2016, Section 2212 states, “in testing and providing a final report detailing the overall risks associated with, and the underlying data and analysis for an actual UAS ingestion into a representative mid- to high-bypass gas turbofan engine of current commercial airliners.”
In related news, the FAA is also beginning to research drone detection and mitigation at commercial airports.