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| Date: | Wednesday 4 December 2019 |
| Time: | day |
| Type: | DJI Phantom 4 Pro V.2 |
| Owner/operator: | Welsh Water |
| Registration: | unregistered |
| MSN: | N/K |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Alwen Forest, Mynydd Hiraethog/Denbigh Moors SSSI, Conwy -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Alwen Forest, Conwy |
| Alwen Forest, Conwy |
4 December 2019: DJI Phantom 4 Advanced UAS destroyed/written off (damaged beyond economic repair) when crashed in to the Alwen Forest, Conwy. The incident was the subject of an AAIB Record-only Investigation, published on 14 May 2020, and the following is the summary from the AAIB Report:
"After a normal takeoff with the UAS pausing in a hover about 3 metres above the ground, the pilot initiated a climb to 50 metres. However, as it reached about 6 metres, a GPS aerial failure occurred; the UAS inverted and flew into the ground".
Damage Sustained to UAS
Per the AAIB: Not stated. However, as the UAS flew into the ground at speed from an altitude of 50 metres, it can be presumed that the damage was significant enough to render the airframe as "damaged beyond repair"
Alwen Forest has a total area of 1,382 ha and is predominantly coniferous. Alwen Forest partly lies within the Mynydd Hiraethog/Denbigh Moors SSSI and is for the most part nestled between the B4501 and A543 Pentrefoelas to Denbigh road. The Alwen Reservoir forms a prominent landscape feature situated in the southern end of the forest, with Llyn Brenig, a reservoir and visitor attraction, lying immediately to the east of the FRP’s boundary. Both water bodies and associated infrastructure are owned and managed by Welsh Water.
Sources:
1. AAIB record Only Investigation Report 14 May 2020: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/aaib-record-only-uas-investigations-reviewed-february-march-2020/aaib-record-only-uas-investigations-reviewed-february-march-2020
2. https://www.dji.com/uk/phantom-4-pro-v2
3. https://naturalresourceswales.gov.uk/about-us/what-we-do/strategies-and-plans/forest-resource-plans/alwen-forest-resource-plan/?lang=en
4. https://naturalresourceswales.gov.uk/media/mnhbyqsq/alwen-location-map.png
5. https://www.walknorthwales.com/walks/conwy/alwen-reservoir-trail/
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alwen_Reservoir
History of this aircraft
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 |
| 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 |
Location
Media:
Pine Forest Track to the Alwen Reservoir dated 2004
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 03-Oct-2024 06:10 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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