Drone Hits Great Seattle Ferris Wheel, No Injuries Reported

This is just the latest incident in a series occurring across the nation, where small, privately flown drones are causing potentially serious incidents. The drone was similar in size to the model pictured.  The actual unit that hit the wheel was probably 24
by 24".

No mention was made of what possible charges could be levied, but Seattle police are searching for the owner of a small, four-engine drone that crashed into the site of the landmark attraction in Downtown Seattle.

The Great Seattle Wheel is a huge Ferris wheel down on the waterfront, not far from Pier 39.  Workers at the scene Wednesday afternoon around 4pm heard a loud, resounding "thud" and turned to find the drone had slammed into a table in the outdoor patio area right next to the wheel.

Officials say the drone likely slammed off one of the giant spokes in the wheel, and they suspect someone was trying to fly it through the spokes of the wheel. It probably struck one of them, and plummeted down to the patio area. Workers said they were lucky it was not a busier time, or it would be likely that someone would have been sitting there.

The patio is a popular seating area for people who are waiting to get on the wheel, or have gotten off.  The drone was handed over to Seattle police, who are looking for the owner. The drone appeared to have sustained at least some damage, including a broken propeller on one of it's engines.