Incident DJI Phantom 4 Pro Unregistered, Sunday 17 June 2018

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Date:	Sunday 17 June 2018
Time:	06:45
Type:	DJI Phantom 4 Pro
Owner/operator:	Private
Registration:	Unregistered
MSN:	N/K
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Substantial
Location:	Worcester, Worcestershire - United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Survey
Departure airport:	Worcester, Worcestershire
Destination airport:	Worcester, Worcestershire
Confidence Rating:	Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities

Narrative:
AAIB investigation to DJI Phantom 4 Pro, UAV, registration n/a: Loss of control in flight, Worcester, Worcestershire, 17 June 2018. The AAIB Final Report was published on 9 May 2019, and the following is an excerpt from it:

"The aircraft was being flown on a surveying task in a built-up area, for which the pilot had approval. It took off on its third flight of the day with the battery indicating 51% charge and 13 minutes and 17 seconds of flight time remaining.

After an uneventful few minutes, the enunciated flight mode, on the aircraft’s controller, changed from ‘gps’ to ‘landing’ without any warning or input by the pilot. This was followed by the following messages also being displayed on the controller:

‘Obstacle sensing will be disabled when aircraft is landing. Fly with caution.
Aircraft is close to home point. Initiate return to home will now trigger Auto Landing’

The aircraft then entered a hover. Despite several attempts by the pilot to take control of the aircraft, including selecting A [Attitude] Mode and selecting RTH [Return to Home], the aircraft continued to hover. The pilot then rebooted the manufacturer’s application on the monitor connected to the controller, but this had no effect. He then changed the monitor for a portable electronic device, but the aircraft continued to hover and not respond to any inputs.

The pilot then reconnected the monitor and ‘landing’ continued to be displayed. Shortly thereafter, having flown for about 6 minutes and 30 seconds, while it was in a hover, when the battery was indicting 11% and 2 minutes and 51 seconds of flight time remaining, the aircraft started to descend. As it did, it made contact with the side of a building and fell 30 ft. It came to rest on a flat roof, sustaining extensive damage to the aircraft"

=Pilot’s comments=
The pilot commented that he was not presented with any low battery warnings during the accident flight. He has subsequently recharged and used the accident battery several times, in a new aircraft, without event.

=AAIB Discussion=
The manufacturer concluded that the accident was the result of the aircraft commencing an automatic landing when its battery was nearly depleted. This may have been the case once the battery had reached 11% of charge remaining and started to descend. However, the pilot did not receive a low battery level warning, as stated in the aircraft’s user manual.

=Damage Sustained to airframe=
Per the AAIB report, the UAV sustained "Extensive" damage.

Sources:

1. AAIB Final Report: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5f46774ae90e07298f464f63/DJI_Phantom_4_Pro_UAS_05-19.pdf
2. https://www.dji.com/uk/phantom-4-pro-v2
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worcester,_England

History of this aircraft

Other occurrences involving this aircraft

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27 August 2020 Unregistered Private 0 Margate, Thanet District, Kent sub

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1 December 2020 Unregistered Private 0 Morley, West Yorkshire sub

2 February 2021 Unregistered Private 0 Near Ropley, Hampshire sub

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20 March 2021 Unregistered Private 0 Altrincham, Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, Greater Manchester sub

4 April 2021 Unregistered Private 0 Holywell, Clwyd, Flintshire, North Wales CH8 sub

21 April 2021 Unregistered Private 0 Swindon, Wiltshire sub

19 May 2021 Unregistered Private 0 Brent Cross, London Borough of Barnet, London NW4 sub

30 May 2021 Unregistered Private 0 Llanhilleth, Blaenau Gwent, Wales sub

3 June 2021 Unregistered Private 0 Barnham, 3 miles South of Thetford, Suffolk sub

22 June 2021 Unregistered Private 0 Perth, Perth and Kinross, Scotland sub

28 August 2021 Unregistered Private 0 Stowe, 2 miles NW of Buckingham, Buckinghamshire sub

29 September 2021 Unregistered Private 0 Craignaw, Dungeon Hills, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland w/o

6 October 2023 unregistered Private 0 near Frome, Somerset sub

5 November 2024 Unregistered Private 0 near Lymington, Hampshire sub

Location

Revision history:

Date/time Contributor Updates

28-Jun-2021 20:26 Dr. John Smith Added

17-Jul-2024 16:13 Dr. John Smith Updated [Cn, Source, Narrative, Category, ]

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
28-Jun-2021 20:26	Dr. John Smith	Added
17-Jul-2024 16:13	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Cn, Source, Narrative, Category, ]

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22 May 2018	Unregistered	Private	0	Railworld, near Rivergate Shopping Centre, Oundle Road, Peterborough	w/o
18 November 2019	unregistered	Private	0	Sunderland, Tyne and Wear	sub
3 December 2019	unregistered	Private	0	Cruden Bay, Aberdeenshire	sub
4 December 2019	unregistered	Welsh Water	0	Alwen Forest, Mynydd Hiraethog/Denbigh Moors SSSI, Conwy	w/o
18 February 2020	Unregistered	Private	0	Gainsborough, Lincolnshire	sub
30 April 2020	unregistered	Private	0	Warrington Cemetery, Manchester Road, Warrington, Merseyside WA1 3BG	unk
12 July 2020	Unregistered	Private	0	Boston, Lincolnshire	w/o
28 July 2020	Unregistered	Private	0	Drakelow, 2 miles South of Burton-on-Trent, Derbyshire	sub
27 August 2020	Unregistered	Private	0	Margate, Thanet District, Kent	sub
Bird strike
31 August 2020	Unregistered	Private	0	Luskentyre Beach, Lewis and Harris, The Outer Hebrides, Scotland	sub
22 September 2020	Unregistered	Magnox Ltd	0	Bradwell Nuclear Power Station, Bradwell-on-Sea, Essex	sub
29 September 2020	Unregistered	Bristol City Docks, Harbour Masters Office	0	Bristol City Docks, Dock Gate Lane, Hotwells, Bristol BS1 6XG	sub
19 November 2020	Unregistered	Essex Police	0	Colchester, Essex	sub
1 December 2020	Unregistered	Private	0	Morley, West Yorkshire	sub
2 February 2021	Unregistered	Private	0	Near Ropley, Hampshire	sub
5 March 2021	Unregistered	Private	0	Near Sizewell, Suffolk	sub
9 March 2021	Unregistered	Hanson UK Materials Aggregates	0	Whatley Quarry, 4 miles West of Frome, Somerset	sub
20 March 2021	Unregistered	Private	0	Altrincham, Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, Greater Manchester	sub
4 April 2021	Unregistered	Private	0	Holywell, Clwyd, Flintshire, North Wales CH8	sub
21 April 2021	Unregistered	Private	0	Swindon, Wiltshire	sub
19 May 2021	Unregistered	Private	0	Brent Cross, London Borough of Barnet, London NW4	sub
30 May 2021	Unregistered	Private	0	Llanhilleth, Blaenau Gwent, Wales	sub
3 June 2021	Unregistered	Private	0	Barnham, 3 miles South of Thetford, Suffolk	sub
22 June 2021	Unregistered	Private	0	Perth, Perth and Kinross, Scotland	sub
28 August 2021	Unregistered	Private	0	Stowe, 2 miles NW of Buckingham, Buckinghamshire	sub
29 September 2021	Unregistered	Private	0	Craignaw, Dungeon Hills, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland	w/o
6 October 2023	unregistered	Private	0	near Frome, Somerset	sub
5 November 2024	Unregistered	Private	0	near Lymington, Hampshire	sub