Drone Impact Ruled Out as Cause of Incident With Damaged Jetliner

  • Nose cone on Aeromexico jet in Tijuana cracked on Dec. 12
  • Investigation focuses on earlier repair, not drone or bird

Photographer: Susana Gonzalez/Bloomberg

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A Grupo Aeromexico SAB airliner said to have been hit by a drone last December was actually damaged when a poorly done repair on the plane caused its nose to collapse and crack as it prepared to land.

An examination of the Boeing Co. 737-800’s crimped nose cone by the company’s forensic experts ruled out a collision with a drone or any other object, including birds, according to a report it submitted to the National Transportation Safety Board earlier this month. The document was reviewed by Bloomberg News.