Drone Manufacturer: DJI
Drone Model: Matrice 210
Country: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Type: Accident
Date: 2019-03-03
Applies: Daytime
Pilot Qualifications: Approved by Public Safety Agency or Company
Pilot Flight Experience: 57 Hours
Link to External Information About This submission: https://www.gov.uk/aaib-reports/aaib-investigation-to-dji-matrice-210-uas-registration-n-a-3-march-2019
File Uploaded: dji_matrice_210_uas_registration_na_030319_0120
Description
The DJI Matrice 210 quadcopter small unmanned aircraft (SUA) 1 was being operated by the Police as part of a training exercise. The pilot had checked the weather as part of his preparations and although rain was forecast, it was considered the conditions were suitable as the aircraft had an IP432 rating.
After lift-off and control checks were completed satisfactorily, the aircraft was ascended to 90 m (300 ft) to maintain safe separation from nearby buildings. It was still raining but as the flight progressed the rain eased to drizzle.
After approximately five minutes and whilst the aircraft was being repositioned, it suddenly started to spin rapidly and fell to the ground. The pilot attempted to warn people by shouting “look out, move”. It took an estimated five seconds for the aircraft to fall to the ground, where it was destroyed on impact (Figure 1). No person was injured.
Refer to report on DJI Matrice 210 – EW/C2019/03/02 in this AAIB Bulletin 1/2020 for information on other accidents involving the DJI Matrice 210 and Safety Recommendations concerning the safe operation of a UAS near to people and congested areas.
Reported Cause
Examination of the recorded data showed that a motor blocked warning message had been activated and the No 3 (rear left) motor had failed.