wow! that's a [censored]! since it fell past the cam, it had to fall onto the crank assembly, and then it's a matter of if it's sitting there or has fallen onto the windage tray. hard to imagine that there is anywhere it can get to except to fall off. trying to think of some position of the rods and crank that it could get caught and do some damage.

unlikely though it seems, it could potentially destroy the engine. maybe 1 in a million, but it is there.

for me, bummer as it is, there is no way i would run the engine with that in there. pull the pan. maybe try cranking the engine by hand, and priming the oil pump. maybe cranking it will make sure it drops onto the windage tray, (and you will feel if it somehow does get in-between something and start to lock up), and through priming the oil flow will bring it down into the pan, and then drain the pan.

although, it will sink to the bottom of the pan, and the oil flowing out may not have enough force to move it along, so it may sit there. try to get in with a magnet and move it all around the pan.

to each his own, but again, there is no way i would run that...