Bald eagle attacks government drone and sends it to bottom of Lake Michigan
In a rare case of nature taking on a manmade machine and winning, a bald eagle attacked and destroyed a government drone that was flying above Lake Michigan on an environmental monitoring mission.
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The Phantom 4 Pro Advanced quodcopter drone was about 162ft in the sky when it is thought the bird of prey attacked – possibly mistaking the flying machine for a rival bird or tasty snack.
The drone had one of its propellors torn off and spiraled from the skies, sinking to the bottom of the lake.
“The attack could have been a territorial squabble with the electronic foe, or just a hungry eagle,” the state Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy in a statement.
The pilot of the drone, Hunter King, had been mapping shoreline erosion for use in the agency’s efforts to document and help communities around Lake Michigan cope with high water levels when suddenly it began twirling furiously.
“It was like a really bad rollercoaster ride,” said King.
When he looked up the drone was gone, and an eagle was flying away apparently unhurt.
