Investigators used a drone over the Potomac River to survey the wreckage from the midair collision involving a Black Hawk military helicopter and an American Airlines passenger plane in Washington DC. Part of the wreckage has since been recovered.

It turns out that small drones can leave a big impact on large aircraft. Scientists at the University of Dayton Research Institute discovered this when they flung a DJI Phantom 4 drone into the sky from a cannon. It didn't take very long before the drone crashed spectacularly with a Mooney M20 airplane. Luckily, the collision was staged as part of a study and no one was injured in the process. For the study, researchers worked to mimic a midair collision between a 2.1-lb drone and an airplane at a speed of 238 miles per hour.

WASHINGTON – Federal investigators have opened their first probe of a midair collision between a civilian drone and a traditional aircraft. An Army UH-60 helicopter was flying east of Staten Island on Sept. 21 when it collided with a small, consumer Phantom 4 drone, the National Transportation Safety Board said in a press release Thursday. The Federal Aviation Administration, which is assisting the investigation, has logged more than 1,000 reports of drone safety incidents, including cases of the devices flying close to jetliners. DJI is assisting the NTSB investigation, the company said in an emailed statement.