# Incident 20200525021299I: Mojave, CA, May 25, 2020

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 25, 2020, 12:08 local time
- Place: Mojave, CA
- Airport: Mojave Air And Space Port
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Hover/Holding
- Location: 35.0525° N, 118.1740° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Mojave, CA, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.0525&lon=-118.1740&mi=10
- Aircraft: NONE (not matched to a registry record)
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 2
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20200525021299I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

ON MAY 25, 2020,  MOJAVE AIR AND SPACE PORT (KMHV) AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL TOWER (ATCT) PROVIDED VERBAL AUTHORIZATION TO ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ TO PERFORM SUAS OPERATIONS IN KMHV CLASS D AIRSPACE.

WIND SPEED WAS 7 KNOTS WITH GUSTS AT 14 KNOTS.  WIND DIRECTION 060.

^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. AND KMHV HAVE A LETTER OF AGREEMENT (LOA) EFFECTIVE JANUARY 28, 2020 FOR SUAS OPERATIONS IN KMHV CLASS D AIRSPACE.

^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ HOLDS A CURRENT CERTIFICATE OF WAIVER OR AUTHORIZATION EFFECTIVE FROM JANUARY 31, 2019 TO SEPTEMBER 30, 2020 TO PERFORM SMALL UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYTEM (SUAS) OPERATIONS IN CLASS D AIRSPACE AT KMHV.

^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ HOLDS A CURRENT REMOTE PILOT CERTIFICATE WITH A SUAS RATING ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

REMOTE PILOT IN COMMAND (RPIC), ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WAS OPERATING UNDER PART 107 AT KMHV COVERING SURVEILLANCE OF THE VIRGIN ORBIT LAUNCHER ONE MISSION.  RPIC WAS OPERATING A DJI INSPIRE 2 WITH A CAMERA/GIMBLE COMBINATION SET UP.

DJI INSPIRE 2 (SN 09YDDCQL040384) CURRENT FAA SUAS REGISTRATION NUMBER FA343FTPWM.  REGISTERED TO ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

RPIC WAS OPERATING WITH ONE INEXPERIENCED VISUAL OBSERVER (VO).

RPIC WAS NOT ACCUSTOMED TO OPERATING THE SMALL UNMANNED AIRCRAFT CONTROLS, MANIPULATING THE CAMERA/GIMBLE COMBINATION SET UP, AND COMMUNICATING TO ATCT VIA RADIO SIMULTANEOUSLY.  RPIC WAS ALSO WORKING WITH AN INEXPERIENCED VO.

RPIC BECAME TASK SATURATED AND LOST SIGHT OF THE SMALL UNMANNED AIRCRAFT.

AT 1208 LOCAL TIME, THE SMALL UNMANNED AIRCRAFT STRUCK THE WEST SIDE OF KMHV ATCT.

^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ SUSTAINED A SUPERFICIAL HORIZONTAL LACERATION TO HIS RIGHT LOWER, INSIDE FOREARM.  HE WAS TREATED ON-SCENE WITH BANDAGE AND GAUZE WRAP.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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