Date:	Wednesday 19 May 2021
Time:	day
Type:	DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2
Owner/operator:	Private
Registration:	Unregistered
MSN:	N/K
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Substantial
Location:	Brent Cross, London Borough of Barnet, London NW4 -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Survey
Departure airport:	Brent Cross, London Borough of Barnet, London NW4
Destination airport:	Brent Cross, London Borough of Barnet, London NW4
Investigating agency:	AAIB
Confidence Rating:	Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities

Narrative:
19 May 2021: DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2 UAS substantially damaged when fell to the ground from an altitude of 30 metres (aproximately 98 feet) at Brent Cross, London Borough of Barnet, London NW4. The incident was the subject of an AAIB Record-only Investigation, published on 8 July 2021, and the following is the summary from the AAIB Report:

"After surveying from a height of approximately 10 metres, the pilot flew the drone to a height of 30 metres when, without warning, it flipped over and fell to the ground. The UAS came to rest on a rubble plie approximately 50 metres from any person. The pilot reported that, on inspection, it appeared that the battery connector had melted".

Damage sustained to UAS
Per the AAIB Report "the UAS fell to the ground from an altitude of 30 metres" (aproximately 98 feet), plus "it appeared that the battery connector had melted". The latter implies that the primary cause of the incident was due to loss of battery power as a result of a problem or failure with the battery connector.

Brent Cross is a major traffic interchange and area in the London Borough of Barnet, England. Originally the name of a crossroads, it is located a mile from the centres of Hendon and Golders Green. The area is best known for the Brent Cross Shopping Centre, a major retail facility, opened in 1976, south of the interchange. The "Brent Cross Flyover" of the A41 runs to the east of the shopping centre over the A406 North Circular Road, while the M1 motorway and A5 Edgware Road are to the west at Staples Corner interchange. Note that the AAIB report does not explicity state that the incident took place at the Brent Cross Shopping Centre or at another location in the area.

1. AAIB Record-only UAS investigations reviewed: April-May 2021, Published 8 July 2021: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/aaib-record-only-uas-investigations-reviewed-april-may-2021/aaib-record-only-uas-investigations-reviewed-april-may-2021
2. https://store.dji.com/uk/product/phantom-4-pro-v2
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brent_Cross

Other occurrences involving this aircraft


22 May 2018	Unregistered	Private	0	Railworld, near Rivergate Shopping Centre, Oundle Road, Peterborough		w/o
17 June 2018	Unregistered	Private	0	Worcester, Worcestershire		sub
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
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

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
22-Dec-2024 10:00	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Registration, Cn, Operator, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative, Category, ]