Accident ARACE SIRIN ZT-XVM, Wednesday 10 May 2023

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Date:	Wednesday 10 May 2023
Time:	21:40
Type:	ARACE SIRIN
Owner/operator:
Registration:	ZT-XVM
MSN:	SIR0053
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Substantial
Category:	Accident
Location:	Vrede - South Africa
Phase:	Approach
Nature:	Aerial patrol
Departure airport:
Destination airport:
Investigating agency:	CAA S.A.
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
The pilot reported that he conducted pre-flight checks with no anomalies noted. He then armed and launched the RPA for the mission with 94% battery power at approximately 1920Z. The RPA completed the mission with about 39% battery remaining. Whilst returning to the launch pad for landing, the pilot noted ‘critical battery’ warning indication on the controller unit. Shortly thereafter, the RPA altitude decreased with ‘potential thrust lost’ on the controller unit. The RPA disconnected from the controller before it crashed to the ground approximately 900 metres from the launch pad. The pilot recovered the RPA; it sustained substantial damage to the landing gear and gimbal.

Probable Cause
The UAS battery had a cell failure which likely caused an unstable power output that resulted in multiple failure indications and a signal disconnection from the remote pilot station before it crashed.
Contributing Factor
The pilot cancelled the “critical battery failsafe” mode.

Accident investigation: