AAIB Record-only UAS investigations reviewed: January 2020
Published 12 March 2020
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| Date | Aircraft type | Location | Occurence details |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 Sep 2019 | DJI Matrice 210 | Hillsborough Football Ground, Sheffield, Yorkshire | Control of the UAS was lost after “aircraft disconnected” and “navigation issue” warnings were displayed. The UAS disappeared from the pilot’s view and was not located. |
| 01 Oct 2019 | DJI Matrice 210 | Shearwater Platform, North Sea | During the flight the pilot received error messages and control of the UAS was lost. The UAS subsequently descended into the sea. |
| 18 Nov 2019 | DJI Phantom 4 Pro | Sunderland, Tyne and Wear | Following takeoff and at a low height, the UAS stopped responding to fore and aft commands but was able to be controlled in height. The operator therefore descended the UAS but could not prevent it crashing into a wall 90 ft away. |
| 03 Dec 2019 | DJI Phantom 4 Pro+ | Cruden Bay, Aberdeenshire | The UAS was being used to survey a church tower and was at a height of 40 m when it stopped responding to the pilot’s control inputs or the ‘Return Home’ button. Eventually the battery level reduced to 0% and the UAS descended onto the roof causing damage to the landing gear and camera. The cause of the control signal loss was not established. |
| 23 Dec 2019 | DJI Mavic Enterprise | Birmingham | The UAS was airborne for about one minute and, on takeoff, had only established seven GPS satellites. This was not enough for GPS flight. The pilot could not control the UAS and the decision to cut power to the motors was made. |
| 06 Jan 2020 | Yuneec H520 | Coney St, York | On take off a compass calibration error displayed. The compass was calibrated and the error displayed again but disappeared, so the UAS was launched. The UAS began moving on automated route but then moved off in the wrong direction, gaining speed and altitude. The UAS was not found. |
| 07 Jan 2020 | DJI Matrice | Training Ground (CFA) at Manchester City, Manchester | A parachute pin tag caught a blade during take off. The UAS reached 10 m altitude then descended, colliding with terrain and sustained substantial damage. |
Details of previous record-only investigations can be found on the Record-only investigations page.