Independent report

AAIB Record-only UAS investigations reviewed: August - September 2021

Published 11 November 2021

Event Date	Aircraft Type	Location	Record Only Occurrence Text
11 Jun 2021	UAS DJI Inspire 2	Shrewsbury, Shropshire	The UAS was being used to film two motocross riders whilst the track was closed to the public. However, during the flight the UA clipped a flag pole and fell about 4 m to the ground causing a cut to the clothing of a person taking part in the filming.
23 Jun 2021	UAS MA Acrowot	Near Swindon, Wiltshire	During the approach to land, the pilot inadvertently applied incorrect roll control which caused the model aircraft to impact the ground. It hit another model aircraft and there were reports of minor injuries from flying debris. The pilot considered it likely that a long period with no flying contributed to him making an incorrect control input.
15 Jul 2021	UAS DJI Mavic Enterprise	Edgbaston, Birmingham	Whilst conducting a ‘non-GPS’ mode training flight at approximately 20 m agl, an incorrect input caused the UA to manoeuvre towards and collide with a tree. Two propellers were damaged.
23 Jul 2021	UAS DJI Mavic 2 Pro	Thurso, Caithness	The UA span out of control whilst trying to avoid bird activity. It struck a building roof and was extensively damaged.
03 Aug 2021	UAS Iflight Chimera 4	Hythe, Kent	Whilst carrying out a test flight the connection between the controller and UA was lost. The pilot was unable to reconnect with the UA and it entered its fail safe mode. It fell uncontrolled, landed heavily on a shop and damaged roof tiles.
08 Sep 2021	UAS DJI Mavic 2 Pro	Wandsworth, London	During a video orbit, the observer misjudged the distance and the UA either struck or flew behind a nearby building. The signal was lost and the UA struck the ground.
09 Sep 2021	UAS Clogworks Dark Matter Hex	East Ilsley, Berkshire	The UAS was being operated on a check flight following storage. The operator was losing manual control link. He turned off the link to trigger a return to home; the UA lost control and struck the ground.
14 Sep 2021	UAS DJI Mavic II Pro	Firth of Clyde	While operating over water there was a power loss and the UA dropped into the water.
16 Sep 2021	UAS DJI Mavic Zoom	Ealing, London	The UA changed direction without input from the pilot. The controller screen was blank and a yellow IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) error was displayed. The UAS descended and was lost.
18 Sep 2021	UAS MA Lysander	Old Warden Airfield, Bedfordshire	The model aircraft was being displayed at a public event. After turning onto final the pilot believes the model was caught by a gust of wind, stalled and struck the ground. The accident site was beyond the spectator line and away from any third parties.
19 Sep 2021	UAS DJI Mavic 2	Tingon, North Shetland	The battery indicated a charge of 96% when the motors were started, but 75 secs into a flight over the sea the operator received a warning that the battery charge was critically low. The UAS initiated an automated landing and the UA began to descend. It was too far away from land and was lost after it descended into the sea.
21 Sep 2021	UAS M1 Mavic Pro	Bridgend, Glamorgan	Whilst operating over open ground, control was lost and the UA was substantially damaged when it landed in brambles. The pilot, having seen something detach from the aircraft, believes that the battery fell out during flight.