Date:	Friday 13 December 2019
Time:	15:21
Type:	DJI Matrice 600 pro
Owner/operator:	Private
Registration:	Unregistered
MSN:	2016DP6137
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Substantial
Location:	Wallsend-on-Tyne, North Tyneside, Tyne & Wear -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Survey
Departure airport:	Wallsend-on-Tyne, North Tyneside, Tyne & Wear
Destination airport:
Confidence Rating:	Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities

Narrative:
AAIB investigation to DJI M600 Pro (UAS, registration n/a): UAS collided with a house roof after a GPS-compass error, Wallsend-on-Tyne, North Tyneside, Tyne & Wear, 13 December 2019 and sustained substantial damage. The AAIB Final Report was published on 25 June 2020, and the following is an excerpt from it:

"History of the Flight:
The UAS, a DJI M600 Pro, was being operated commercially to survey a construction site. The aircraft was to be flown using its automated flight mode with the survey scheduled to take place over two days. The first# day’s flying passed without incident and, on 13 December 2019, the pilot, and an observer who was also a pilot, returned to complete the site survey.

By 15:00 hrs, three flights had been completed without incident and the aircraft, with batteries that were almost fully charged at 97%, was being prepared for its final flight of the day. It was positioned to take off from the same location as the previous flight and was configured to climb to 400 ft amsl where it was to then automatically follow a route around the site before returning to land. The pilot held the controller and the observer stood a short distance away. There was no precipitation and the visibility was estimated at 2 km with the wind from a west-south-westerly direction at about 13 kt.

The takeoff was normal but, as the aircraft approached 100 ft amsl (a height of about 65 ft agl), the pilot noticed that a GPS-compass error was displayed on the controller.

The aircraft stopped climbing and proceeded to fly in an east-north-easterly direction at a ground speed of about 13 kt, whilst maintaining an altitude of about 100 ft amsl. The pilot and observer reported that they were initially taken by surprise. The pilot then selected the return-to-home (RTH) function on the controller several times, but the aircraft did not respond. Within about ten seconds, the pilot and observer lost visual
line of sight (VLOS) with the aircraft when it travelled beyond a line of trees located at the boundary of the construction site. No manual flight control inputs were made using the controller.

The aircraft proceeded to fly overhead a large industrial area before approaching a housing estate located 300 metres from where it had taken off. The aircraft had continued to maintain its altitude; however, its relative height above the ground reduced as it approached the housing estate due to the rising terrain. The recorded logs from the aircraft showed that, at 15:21.07 hrs, the aircraft collided with the roof of a house before falling into the rear garden of the property. There were no persons in the garden at the time.

The aircraft’s propellers, arms, landing gear, gimbal and camera lens were damaged. The flight time from when the GPS-compass error had occurred and the aircraft colliding with the house was 75 seconds. The controller had remained in radio contact throughout the flight.

The pilot subsequently notified the police that the aircraft was missing, before preparing another aircraft to search the immediate area. However, shortly after takeoff, a signal‑interference error message was displayed on the controller and the pilot immediately landed the aircraft. The accident aircraft was subsequently found by the owner of the house who notified the police. The pilot and observer, in accordance with procedures, submitted a safety report within 48 hrs to the EASA".

Conclusion
The pilot was required to take manual control of the aircraft following the loss of its automated flight modes due to signal interference. However, no manual control inputs were made, and the aircraft subsequently drifted with the wind until it collided with a house roof and fell to the ground. No persons were injured.

Operators holding a PfCO issued by the CAA are not currently required to practise routinely for emergencies or demonstrate the ability to fly their aircraft in a degraded flight mode. These skills are perishable but, as this accident shows, they may be needed at any time; it is important that they are maintained to prevent a risk of injury to people or damage to property.

To address this, one Safety Recommendation has been made to the CAA:
Operators holding a PfCO issued by the CAA are not currently required to practise routinely or emergencies or demonstrate the ability to fly their aircraft in a degraded flight mode. These skills are perishable but, as this accident shows, they may be needed at any time; it is important that they are maintained to prevent a risk of injury to people or damage to property. To address this, one Safety Recommendation has been made to the CAA.

Safety action taken by the operator:
● The operator’s pilots have undergone refresher training on responding to emergency situations and operating their multi-rotor UASs in the ATTI flight mode."

Damage sustained to airframe:
Per the AAIB report "Propellers, arms, landing gear, gimbal and camera lens damaged"

Wallsend (also referred to as Wallsend-on-Tyne) is a town in North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England, at the eastern end of Hadrian's Wall and lies 4 miles (6.5 kilometres) east of Newcastle upon Tyne.

1. AAIB Final Report: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5f1ae9f8d3bf7f596648297e/DJI_M600_Pro_UAS_reg_na_07-20.pdf
2. AAIB Annual Safety Review 2020 p.119: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/60d2e72ed3bf7f4bd4662d67/Annual_Safety_Review_2020.pdf
3. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/aaib-record-only-uas-investigations-reviewed-february-march-2020/aaib-record-only-uas-investigations-reviewed-february-march-2020
4. https://www.caa.co.uk/our-work/publications/documents/content/factor-f5-2020/
5. https://www.caa.co.uk/publication/download/18039
6. https://www.stewartslaw.com/news/liability-implications-for-personal-injuries-caused-by-drones/
7. https://mavicpilots.com/threads/lost-drone-in-the-uk-article-about-gps-interference.95788/
8. https://dronewise-project.eu/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/DroneWISE-Issue-4.pdf
9. https://store.dji.com/uk/product/matrice-600-pro
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallsend

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
26-Jun-2021 23:02	Dr. John Smith	Added
26-Jun-2021 23:03	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative, ]
28-Jun-2021 16:38	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative, ]
28-Jun-2021 16:39	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative, ]
30-Jun-2021 18:43	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative, ]
27-Sep-2024 05:56	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Departure airport, Source, Narrative, Category, ]