A bald eagle attacked a Phantom 4 Pro Advanced quodcopter drone, Michigan state officials said yesterday, sending it crashing to Lake Michigan below. The incident took place on July 21, officials said.
The eagle attacked the machine, “tearing off a propeller and sending the aircraft to the bottom of Lake Michigan,” according to the state Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy.
“The attack could have been a territorial squabble with the electronic foe, or just a hungry eagle,” the department said.
An environmental quality analyst and drone pilot, Hunter King, was mapping shoreline erosion on Lake Michigan with the drone when it suddenly began twirling out of control. King said he then saw an eagle flying away.
A nearby couple was bird-watching when they saw the eagle attack something and appear to fly away uninjured.
An attempt was later conducted to recover the drone by state drone coordinator Authur Ostaszewski using a kayak and snorkeling gear but it was unsuccessful.
The device was about 150 feet offshore and in about 4 feet of Lake Michigan water, the department said.
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