It&#x27;s a risk, but realistically not all that much of one; it&#x27;d take an amazingly unlucky tail-rotor hit to really imperil the aircraft.<p>On the other hand, a drone which can climb high enough to almost hit a cruising police helicopter is a drone which can climb high enough to get sucked up by a commercial jet during takeoff or landing. Jet turbines are actually quite fragile, and something the size and mass of a bird or a drone can easily wreck one. (Ever see that video where the guy feeds a brick to a washing machine? It&#x27;s like that, only much more energetic and not nearly so funny.) Bird strikes in such circumstances have been known to result in fatal crashes; a drone strike could easily do likewise.<p>Indeed I wouldn&#x27;t be surprised if that fact had more to do than any other with the heavy penalties apparently being contemplated in this case; despite there having been no harm done this time, I imagine some of the people involved in deciding what to do about it are thinking it&#x27;d be good to try to deter anyone from doing something similarly stupid around an airport, where it might well actually kill people.