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Jet Strikes Drone Near Heathrow Airport (marketwatch.com)
smooth wombat writes: "A British Airways flight Sunday appears to have collided with a drone on a flight bound for London's busy Heathrow Airport in what may be the first such incident involving a major airline," according to MarketWatch. "The flight from Geneva, Switzerland to Heathrow, Europe's busiest hub, is believed to have struck a drone, the London Metropolitan Police said in a statement. The plane landed safely following the incident, which occurred around 12:50 p.m. local time. 'It was only a matter of time before we had a drone strike given the huge numbers being flown around by amateurs who don't understand the risks and the rules,' said BALPA flight safety specialist Steve Landells... 'Much more education of drone users and enforcement of the rules is needed to ensure our skies remain safe from this threat'."
If a fan blade is even chipped
Small chips are routinely repaired during engine overhauls by "blending"; filing and sanding away the sharp corners caused by FOD that accumulates in in-service engines. There are manufacturer guidelines covering the location and size of damage may be repaired through blending, and tool manufacturers sell specialized blending tools. Your claim that "even chipped" blades will disintegrate an engine is bogus. It is impossible to operate a gas turbine in real-world conditions without accumulating small "chips" in compressor and turbine blades and stators.
Please don't make stuff up to amplify concerns about drones, or anything else for that matter.
Totally wrong. Pilots regularly train for engine failures at all stages of takeoff, and unless spectacularly mishandled, does NOT lead to the plane crashing.
Also, losing an engine in cruise does NOT cause the a/c to start losing altitude quickly. Sure, you'll have to drift down to a single engine cruise altitude but it's not nearly as harsh as the poster seems to think.