Drone Manufacturer: DJI
Drone Model: M300 RTK
Country: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Type: Accident
Date: 2021-09-16
Applies: Nighttime
Pilot Qualifications: Unknown Status
Pilot Flight Experience: Unknown Hours
Link to External Information About This submission: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/aaib-record-only-uas-investigations-reviewed-october-november-2021/aaib-record-only-uas-investigations-reviewed-october-november-2021
File Uploaded: None
Description
Whilst flying the UAS at night during a missing person search, the operator chose to descend to his selected landing site whilst simultaneously translating forwards, rather than flying a vertical descent. The UA struck a tree which the operator had not seen during the landing approach, resulting in extensive damage to the UA.
Reported Cause
Pilot error.