Independent report

AAIB Record-only UAS investigations reviewed: October - November 2022

Published 12 January 2023

Event Date	Aircraft Type	Location Name	Record Only Occurrence Text
26 Aug 2022	Parrot Anafi	Swanwick, Hampshire	During a survey flight of a motorway bridge, one of the two rotors on the rear left arm of the UA separated in flight. The remote pilot managed to land the aircraft safely which suffered only minor damage.
12 Sep 2022	DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise Dual	Horden, County Durham	The UA was being flown in a residential street in support of a live operation. It was being flown by a remote pilot who was supported by an observer; however, the observer became distracted due to operational events. At this time, the pilot lost visual line of sight with the UA and it collided with a house in the street.
14 Sep 2022	DJI M300 RTK	Biggleswade, Bedfordshire	Just after a manually controlled takeoff, and without prior warning, the remote pilot heard a ‘branch snap’ sound and control of the UA was lost. It fell to the ground from a height of about 4 m and suffered significant damage. The pilot was unsure of the cause and had completed four uneventful flights earlier that day.
15 Sep 2022	DJI Phantom 4	Whitwick, Leicestershire	Whilst videoing a blast in a quarry, the UA, with 80% battery capacity remaining, dropped into a lake. The remote pilot reported that he had seen no warning lights or messages.
27 Sep 2022	DJI Mavic Pro Mark 1	River Mersey near Bromborough, Wirral	The UA operating over water and being used to film and take images of a boat trial. The UA was returning to the landing site when it suddenly dropped from about 10 m into the water and was not recovered.
03 Oct 2022	Parrot Disco	Lewannick, Cornwall	The remote pilot reported flying the UA at 50 m agl when it suddenly failed to respond to his control inputs. It did not enter its failsafe mode but began diving steeply toward the ground at full power. The UA struck the ground broke apart. The pilot explained that, in failsafe mode, the UA would loiter at 50 m agl before executing an automated landing at its memorised “home point” if communication was not restored within five minutes. He thought the nature of the incident indicated a major onboard electronic control system failure but, “due to the UAS’s obsolescence,” no detailed technical analysis of the cause was undertaken.
06 Oct 2022	Parrot Anafi	Stechford, Birmingham	Whilst in hover, the remote pilot’s screen went blank. The UA entered an uncontrollable spin and dropped into a garden.
13 Oct 2022	MA HobbyZone AeroScout S	Fareham, Hampshire	The model aircraft flew beyond line of sight into a field. Several days later it was found badly damaged.
14 Oct 2022	DJI Matrice 300 RTK	Lutterworth, Leicestershire	The remote pilot was conducting a low-level survey. Once the survey was complete, the remote pilot positioned himself close to the landing point. As the UA approached, the pilot looked at the controller and camera view from the UA, and unconsciously moved into the path of the aircraft. The UA struck him before falling to the ground, causing minor damage to the UA. The pilot, who was wearing body armour, was uninjured.
21 Oct 2022	DJI Phantom 4	Coventry, West Midlands	Whilst in transit to a survey start point, the UA dropped to the ground from 100 m and was destroyed.
27 Oct 2022	DJI M300 RTK	Carlisle, East Sussex	During night flying training, the UA suddenly dropped to the ground and suffered substantial damage. Afterwards it was found that the two rear motor arms had not been extended correctly.
28 Oct 2022	DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise Advanced	Near Wantage, Oxfordshire	During flight the UA began to run out of battery power. The UA automatically landed itself onto a tree canopy.
25 Nov 2022	DJI M30	Maidenhead, Berkshire	During landing at night, the UA struck some branches of a tree and fell to the ground.
26 Nov 2022	MA SebArt Wind S50	Earley, Berkshire	The signal to the model aircraft was lost during aerobatic manoeuvres. The model aircraft flew behind some trees and was not recovered.