DJI Matrice 210 lost at sea. It even happens to the big boys.

[Deleted member 114292]

I'm also not making a judgement call on the person that was flying, other than to look at the situation precisely as the FAA would. You can't have a pilot that is neither part of mission planning or execution while at the same time having another person calling the shots without this happening. Flight regulations as established by the FAA are there for a reason.

He is working for the government and for all you know it’s all them well that’s not gonna work and they said do it anyway. There were no lives at stake only equipment.

Unlikely the FAA would care.

 

[sar104]

Well I didn’t mean you but I do mean to say there could be way more to the story than we know perhaps it was his plan to land on the ship if his battery went low and at the last minute they said - no ditch it.

Perhaps one of the batteries had gone bad and he wasn’t responsible for maintenance so he had no idea.

Perhaps they put a new and different payload and did not give him a chance to practice with it.

He definitely was ordered to ditch it. At least according to the article.

If his plan was remote landing on a pitching ship then I really would question his training and competence.

 

[Deleted member 114292]

If his plan was remote landing on a pitching ship then I really would question his training and competence.

With the ship was big enough it may not of been pitching.
We don’t know the details of the circumstances.
15 mph = 3ft swells

 

[Ty Pilot]

Well I didn’t mean you but I do mean to say there could be way more to the story than we know perhaps it was his plan to land on the ship if his battery went low and at the last minute they said - no ditch it.

Perhaps one of the batteries had gone bad and he wasn’t responsible for maintenance so he had no idea.

Perhaps they put a new and different payload and did not give him a chance to practice with it.

He definitely was ordered to ditch it. At least according to the article.

So if you meant me, okay. I am not outraged either but I think there is perhaps some regulations about this type of flying that some may not know or understand.

As required by the FAA, the pilot of that flight:

• Is responsible to know the condition of his batteries.
• Is required to preflight the aircraft and make sure that any additions in payload or placement do not effect flight operations.

I agree we don't know all the details but from the ones we do know, we can see mistakes were made because responsibilities were not fully understood. Even though these types of operations are performed by local departments such as Pender Fire and EMS there are still very strict guidelines in place.

 

[sar104]

With the ship was big enough it may not of been pitching.
We don’t know the details of the circumstances. 15 mph = 3ft swells

US Coast Guard practicing a rescue in high winds. That's not going to be a big vessel. It would be marginal in flat calm conditions.

 

[Meta4]

With the ship was big enough it may not of been pitching.
We don’t know the details of the circumstances.
15 mph = 3ft swells

The word "ship" is not mentioned in any of the articles.
They all say boat, which suggests a small vessel.

I fly at sea in stronger winds and 15 mph and would consider 15mph, good flying conditions.
Checking my flight records for a similar ocean flight I did last week in 25 mph winds, I landed after 17 minutes and still had 28% battery reserve.
Losing the drone after only 14 minutes indicates a serious problem somewhere.
I'd be very suspicious about the condition of the batteries at the start of the flight.

Ultimately it looks a lot like pilot error.
The pilot should be monitoring battery level and voltage and should be aware of how the wind is affecting the drone and what implications that has for the return flight.
Maybe they need to consider doing a lot of wind experience flights with cheaper drones like Phantoms or Mavics.

 

[Pietros]

I was with a US carrier battlegroup in the Indian Ocean in 1982 when they splashed 2 helos during a night man overboard exercise. During training stuff happens.

 

[MtnScout]

We have a M210 and a couple of Phantom 4's we fly for SAR and I have left the M210 in the truck and flown the P4 rather than risk the M210, especially with a lots of wind. Also, one of the first things we train our observers on is hand launching and catching both platforms. BTW, 26k was likely the cost of the entire system. Most likely they will have the RC's, batteries, maybe camera(s) that didn't go for a swim and will be utilized with a new aircraft. Significant dollars in just the peripherals. (or maybe I should call them and make them an offer... ;-) )