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Drone Accident Investigation NTSB Prelim Report

B52-D

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NTSB Prelim: DJI Matrice (Drone)​



The RPIC Attempted To Remove The Drone Batteries When A Propeller Blade Struck His Right Hand Several Times

Location: Young Harris, GA Accident Number: CEN21LA224
Date & Time: May 6, 2021, 11:00 Local Registration: FA3HW43WTF
Aircraft: DJI Matrice Injuries: 1 Serious
Flight Conducted Under: Part 107: Small UAS


NTSB-Logo-0411b_tn.jpg


On May 6, 2021, about 1100 eastern daylight time, a Dà-Jiang Innovations (DJI) Matrice 300 RTK small unmanned aircraft system (sUAS, commonly known as a drone), registration FA3HW43WTF, was involved in an accident near Young Harris, Georgia. The remote pilot in command (RPIC) sustained serious injuries. The flight was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 107 demonstration flight.

The purpose of the flight was to demonstrate the drone capabilities for a potential customer with a payload that consisted of a Zenmuse H20T camera and a Wingsland Z15 spotlight. The flight location was very close to a DJI GEO Zone designated as a “Restricted Zone.” According to DJI, in Restricted Zones, which appear red the DJI GO application, users will be prompted with a warning and flight is prevented. GEO Zones that prohibit flight are implemented around locations such as airports, power plants, and prisons.

UNMANNED-MATRICE-LOST-031720_tn.jpg


After the accident, the RPIC stated that he was initially unaware of the Restricted Zone and never saw a notification on the remote controller during the flight. He added that he only discovered the Restricted Zone after a discussion with the NTSB. The RPIC stated that he performed a normal takeoff and flew the drone to the west over a wooded area about 393 ft above ground level (agl). He stated that during the spotlight demonstration the drone was unresponsive to control inputs, so he utilized the return-to-home (RTH) function. During the RTH descent toward the home point the drone hovered about 7 ft agl over a vehicle in the parking lot and was still unresponsive to any control inputs. When the drone would not land, the RPIC grabbed onto the landing gear and attempted to physically move the drone away from the vehicle. The drone resisted the physical displacement and maintained its position over the vehicle. The RPIC requested assistance from a demonstration attendee and handed him the remote controller. With guidance from the RPIC, he attempted several times to shut down the motors while RPIC held onto the landing gear with both hands. Finally, the RPIC attempted to remove the drone batteries when a propeller blade struck his right hand several times, which caused tendon and nerve damage.

After the injury was sustained, the RPIC continued to hold onto the drone for several minutes until the batteries were exhausted and the motors stopped.

The accident flight logs and data were retrieved from the drone and will be analyzed. A preliminary review of the flight logs showed that the RTH function was initiated about 7 minutes into the flight at 393 ft agl. A Restricted Zone notification was issued two times on the remote controller during the RTH procedure.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov

 
Just gotta love these guys and their acronyms :) So, the ( Mod Removed )sUAS was too expensive to STK (shoot to kill) so the RPIC had no choice but to wrestle it down, what a predicament. Luckily the RPIC had enough BM (body mass) to prevent the sUAS agl'ing him higher than the SV (stationary vehicle).
 
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"Finally, the RPIC attempted to remove the drone batteries when a propeller blade struck his right hand several times, which caused tendon and nerve damage. After the injury was sustained, the RPIC continued to hold onto the drone for several minutes until the batteries were exhausted and the motors stopped."

Why would he hang on if his hand was literally severed? I'm not following the logic here....

Why not just move the car and let it come down on low power?
 
Pilot error. Several things here indicate that. Never orientated himself to the restricted zones. Handed control to possibly a person that was unfamiliar with the procedure to kill the motors and whilst hovering above the parked vehicle the drone was no threat to anyone. There were alternatives to grabbing the drone. Finally, what model is it that he couldn't wrestle the drone away from the vehicle. All sounds bizarre.
Nonetheless I hope he heals ok.
 
Pilot error. Several things here indicate that. Never orientated himself to the restricted zones. Handed control to possibly a person that was unfamiliar with the procedure to kill the motors and whilst hovering above the parked vehicle the drone was no threat to anyone. There were alternatives to grabbing the drone. Finally, what model is it that he couldn't wrestle the drone away from the vehicle. All sounds bizarre.
Nonetheless I hope he heals ok.
DJI Matrice, Didn't say which model. Dji Matrice | B&H Photo Video
 
Pilot error. Several things here indicate that. Never orientated himself to the restricted zones. Handed control to possibly a person that was unfamiliar with the procedure to kill the motors and whilst hovering above the parked vehicle the drone was no threat to anyone. There were alternatives to grabbing the drone. Finally, what model is it that he couldn't wrestle the drone away from the vehicle. All sounds bizarre.
Nonetheless I hope he heals ok.
You ever tried moving a hovering drone from it's locked GPS coordinates?? Drones don't like it. They will immediately go back to the original point you moved it from and they will try hard as hell to stay in their original position unless otherwise commanded by the controller. However, I did have a trespasser in my yard who hit my drone from behind with a stick or pole. It went flying across the yard about 15 ft and stopped in it's new location. Long story. I never identified the f...er.
 
The first thing you do before flying any mission or operation is check the DJI map for geo zone restrictions. Surely if they were flying under Part 107 they would of had the sense to do this . I wouldnt even attempt to grab our Matrice 210 and it’s props are on the top unlike the Matrice 300 which are under the motors . Im sure there were alot of lessons learned by the RPIC after this incident.
 
"Finally, the RPIC attempted to remove the drone batteries when a propeller blade struck his right hand several times, which caused tendon and nerve damage. After the injury was sustained, the RPIC continued to hold onto the drone for several minutes until the batteries were exhausted and the motors stopped."

Why would he hang on if his hand was literally severed? I'm not following the logic here....

Why not just move the car and let it come down on low power?

Nothing was said about his hand being severed. Just cut.
 
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