High profile drone crash in Berlin, Germany

[JackL]

Drone crashes into iconic Berlin church ruins - The Frontier Post

BERLIN (dpa): A drone crashed into the bell tower of Berlin’s Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church early Sunday, a police spokesman said.

The Memorial Church was built between 1891 to 1895. After its destruction in World War II, the tower was deliberately left as a ruin.

Two men were attempting to capture footage of the landmark – set at Berlin’s Breitscheidplatz square, the scene of a deadly truck attack several years ago – when their unmanned aircraft collided with the bell tower and got wedged into its facade.

“The drone apparently had a weak battery and got stuck in the Eiermann facade,” the spokesman said, referring to Egon Eiermann, the architect in charge of the church’s post-War reconstruction.

Firefighters were able to remove the drone after a two-hour operation that involved the use of a cherry picker. There is a no-fly zone around the church, but the men – aged 27 and 31 – claimed not to have known this. The drone has been confiscated.

 

[Phantomrain.org]

What they should have done is just given the drone back with a bill for the cost of the rescue and the damages just like any other traffic violation where you get the ticket but keep the car. I really dont think it needs to be more complicated than that .

Cities could rebuild with the new revenue. ?

 

[JackL]

I agree completely. Certainly when it causes literally no damage to anything.

I wish they would post the logs here so the magicians of Mavicpilots could give us a detailed analysis of everything that went down with this!

 

[Deleted member 103366]

Maybe I will be in the minority here but I think the confiscation of the drone is, in general, quite an apt punishment for a collision into a structure in a no fly zone.

 

[JackL]

I found video!!




VIDEO>>>> Berlin: Drohne kracht in Turm der Gedächtniskirche - Berlin - Bild.de

​

 

[JackL]

Maybe I will be in the minority here but I think the confiscation of the drone is, in general, quite an apt punishment for a collision into a structure in a no fly zone.

I would expect no less.

 

[dirkclod]

Mini ?

 

[JackL]

Mini ?

That was my very first thought when I saw it on the video!

 

[anotherlab]

Here's a higher resolution shot of the drone from Bild. That does look like the underside of a DJI Mini. Confiscation of the drone will not come close to the costs of the retrieval.

 

[JackL]

A good reminder to make sure your RTH altitude is set sufficiently high to clear any obstructions your drone may encounter...

 

[Deleted member 103366]

Well ........ all that for a mini is just ever so slightly overkill, I wonder what they do for nesting pigeons??????????????

 

[Thomas B]

Well ........ all that for a mini is just ever so slightly overkill, I wonder what they do for nesting pigeons??????????????

It was to remove it from the old church of course, not to retrieve it per se.

I wonder what charges have been brought by authorities involved.

 

[anotherlab]

It was to remove it from the old church of course, not to retrieve it per se.

I wonder what charges have been brought by authorities involved.

According to the article in Bild, if it can be proven that they were negligent with how they were flying, then they are on the hook for the costs of the fire services. Which was listed at about €3,700, which is roughly $4,500 USD. Also according to the article, they may be in violation of the Luftverkehrsgesetz (the air traffic act that regulates drones). One of the provisions of the Luftverkehrsgesetz is that a drone can not be operated "within 100 meters of or above people and public gatherings", according this site. Just a few hours earlier, there had been a memorial service for the victims of the 2016 Christmas Market attack.

 

[icecoldgin]

Maybe the pilot is a forumer here.

Let's wait for his post ?

Looks like this is hands down the most expensive Mini so far ?

 

[BigAl07]

Maybe I will be in the minority here but I think the confiscation of the drone is, in general, quite an apt punishment for a collision into a structure in a no fly zone.

I totally agree. Confiscation is the UAS is probably the least of their problems and rightfully so.

I don't know the regulations on that side of the pond but I genuinely hope the penalties add up like they do on this side. I genuinely hope they charge them with everything possible to make an example out of them.

 

[BigAl07]

I would expect no less.

What does this comment mean? I missed something

 

[JackL]

What does this comment mean? I missed something

At the very least I would expect the German government to keep the drone. I would also expect a them to levy a hefty fine.

 

[Capt KO]

Getting it back is small potatoes comparatively. Wow, expensive lesson. Hope it was learned. Always hate bad press, but this one may have a silver lining.

 

[bartjes]

I totally agree. Confiscation is the UAS is probably the least of their problems and rightfully so.

I don't know the regulations on that side of the pond but I genuinely hope the penalties add up like they do on this side. I genuinely hope they charge them with everything possible to make an example out of them.

This is the price of stupidity and ignorance in Europe.

 

[Brojon]

At the very least I would expect the German government to keep the drone. I would also expect a them to levy a hefty fine.

If you think about it they likely confiscated not as punishment, rather to retireve the logs to see if the act was deliberate or not. In Europe intent still means something.