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20200818021039I

Incident · No damage
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FAA incident report · Aircraft · Raleigh, NC · August 18, 2020

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

© OpenStreetMap
Date
August 18, 2020 · 09:00 local
Place
Raleigh, NC
Phase of flight
Landing: Approach
Operating rules
Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator
1UPA
Damage
No damage
Aircraft
NONE
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
5,000 total

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

On August 18, 2020, at approximately 09:00 EDT local time, a UAS flight was conducted by 14CFR135 (1UPA) air carrier, privacy data omitted flight forward. The flight originated from the e-tower location at wakemed Raleigh medical park and concluded at the carrier?s designated landing location at the surgical center on the Raleigh medical park campus. Upon approach to land on incident flight the rpic encountered multiple ekf alerts from the UAS and the vehicle began a ?swirling? Motion and some displacement from its? Normal decent path to the landing pad. The rpic stated they believed the vehicle would make a partial off-pad landing if allowed to auto-land. The rpic elected to intervene and hold the aircraft approximately 15 feet above the ground while the landing pad was removed from the area. The rpic noted the aircraft vibrating and an apparent GPS drift in position. The emergency land command was selected and the aircraft landed without incident within the carrier?s secured area.

Initial evaluation by the carrier and manufacturer of the vehicle indicated GPS interference with the vehicle around the approach path to landing. It was also determined it only affects the single band GPS installed in the vehicle and not the dual band GPS. Initial investigation has not determined the source of the GPS interference. Ongoing tests by the carrier and manufacturer will continue.

As the FAA filed it

ON AUGUST 18, 2020, AT APPROXIMATELY 09:00 EDT LOCAL TIME, A UAS FLIGHT WAS CONDUCTED BY 14CFR135 (1UPA) AIR CARRIER, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ FLIGHT FORWARD. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM THE E-TOWER LOCATION AT WAKEMED RALEIGH MEDICAL PARK AND CONCLUDED AT THE CARRIER?S DESIGNATED LANDING LOCATION AT THE SURGICAL CENTER ON THE RALEIGH MEDICAL PARK CAMPUS. UPON APPROACH TO LAND ON INCIDENT FLIGHT THE RPIC ENCOUNTERED MULTIPLE EKF ALERTS FROM THE UAS AND THE VEHICLE BEGAN A ?SWIRLING? MOTION AND SOME DISPLACEMENT FROM ITS? NORMAL DECENT PATH TO THE LANDING PAD. THE RPIC STATED THEY BELIEVED THE VEHICLE WOULD MAKE A PARTIAL OFF-PAD LANDING IF ALLOWED TO AUTO-LAND. THE RPIC ELECTED TO INTERVENE AND HOLD THE AIRCRAFT APPROXIMATELY 15 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND WHILE THE LANDING PAD WAS REMOVED FROM THE AREA. THE RPIC NOTED THE AIRCRAFT VIBRATING AND AN APPARENT GPS DRIFT IN POSITION. THE EMERGENCY LAND COMMAND WAS SELECTED AND THE AIRCRAFT LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT WITHIN THE CARRIER?S SECURED AREA.

INITIAL EVALUATION BY THE CARRIER AND MANUFACTURER OF THE VEHICLE INDICATED GPS INTERFERENCE WITH THE VEHICLE AROUND THE APPROACH PATH TO LANDING. IT WAS ALSO DETERMINED IT ONLY AFFECTS THE SINGLE BAND GPS INSTALLED IN THE VEHICLE AND NOT THE DUAL BAND GPS. INITIAL INVESTIGATION HAS NOT DETERMINED THE SOURCE OF THE GPS INTERFERENCE. ONGOING TESTS BY THE CARRIER AND MANUFACTURER WILL CONTINUE.