Drone incident ruled a bat strike

A light plane that was thought to have hit a drone as it prepared to land at an airport in Adelaide actually struck a flying fox, an investigation has found.

The plane, a TB-10 Tobago operated by Flight Training Adelaide, was coming into land earlier this month when it was struck on the wing by an unidentified object, causing minor damage.

The pilot heard a loud thud and the right wing suddenly dropped.

He reported the incident as a possible drone strike, but the Australian Transport Safety Bureau says the plane most likely hit a grey-headed flying fox.

The ATSB conducted an inspection of the aircraft with swab samples of the impact sent to the Australian Museum for DNA testing.

"The subsequent DNA test results indicated the sample was most consistent with that of a grey-headed flying-fox, from the bat family," the bureau said in its report.

No further inquiries will be conducted.