A drone crashes onto truck – causing $12,000 damage. Will this be the straw that breaks DJI in America?

A drone hit a bird in Georgetown, SC and fell onto a truck causing $12,000 worth of damage as it crashed outside a furniture store 'this month', according to the Georgetown Times. This might not have been widely reported except, of course, there is a wider panic about drones sweeping the US at the moment.

The drone in question, a DJI Matrice 600, is a model not only discontinued by DJI but, as of February this year, beyond its support period. It was originally launched in 2017 and the design is essentially a frame of carbon fibre rods with the ability to carry payloads of up to 6Kg (13 pounds); DJI's first heavy lift drone that could hoist a serious camera it was a professional and adaptable airframe.

The report comes amid a lot of coverage of 'drone sightings' in the US (though the police officials didn't connect it). It also comes at a very difficult time for DJI especially. With the lion's share of the consumer and civilian professional drone market around the world (and most spots on the best camera drones list), DJI, a Chinese company, has been targeted by a number of sanctions in the US which make it harder to compete. This despite DJI repeatedly stating they have no military connections (and offering the best drones for Christmas - the DJI Neo).

Since Mid-November, some have reported seeing "thousands of drones" over the eastern coast of the USA, and some are choosing to use phrases like 'mass confusion' as the FBI has been forced to warn Americans not to shoot weapons at or shine lasers at suspected drones.

Drone sightings have flown rapidly beyond the original New Jersey military base at center of the story, while that has had to admit that there is evidence to suggest drones were not foreign or alien but being used to smuggle in contraband (as reported by NY Post among others). It is not unknown for US servicepeople to smuggle cellphones, drugs, tobacco, and weight loss supplements amongst other items onto bases.

A week ago the FBI said "Historically, we have experienced cases of mistaken identity, where reported drones are, in fact, manned aircraft or facilities." At that point they also added "Upon review of available imagery, it appears that many of the reported sightings are actually manned aircraft, operating lawfully. There are no reported or confirmed drone sightings in any restricted air space. "

Perhaps the best explanation of the hubbub came from Jim Himes (who serves on the House Intelligence Committee) when he told Fox viewers: "The answer 'we don’t know' is not a good enough answer when people are anxious, when they are nervous, and this has been true since we’ve been a species on this planet." to he credit, though, he did add "Let me say something I know with confidence: It is not the Iranians, it is not the Chinese. They aren’t Martians."

All this might have culminated in President Biden himself addressing the drone issue, stating yesterday that there was "nothing nefarious" going on, and that his administration is "following this closely, but so far, no sense of danger."

The question is now what kind of catalyst a potentially coincidental bird strike can be? That's a sense of physical danger restored, and it's already plain to see drone stories are getting exaggerated coverage. They play to a lot of paranoias.

This may be sensibly investigated on its own merits by the FAA, but the recent news cycle doesn't seem to have chimed with the cautious investigative approach.

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