# Incident 20210528022879I: Yamaha Motor Co Ltd RMAX, St. Helena, CA, May 28, 2021

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 28, 2021, 07:45 local time
- Place: St. Helena, CA
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Hover/Holding
- Operating rules: Agricultural (Part 137)
- Operator: 8YAG
- Location: 38.5127° N, 122.4681° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of St. Helena, CA, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.5127&lon=-122.4681&mi=10
- Aircraft: N546XY, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N546XY-2024-12-20) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Yamaha Motor RMAX (registry code 0610054, https://openairdocs.org/model/yamaha-motor-rmax) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: YAMAHA MOTOR CO LTD RMAX
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20210528022879I

## Narrative

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

PILOT STATED THEY HAD ALREADY DONE A TEST FLIGHT AND WERE LOADING THE FIRST LOAD OF CHEMICALS TO SPRAY FOR THE DAY. PILOT STATED THE LOADING SITE WAS ABOUT 500 FEET FROM THEIR STARTING POINT. PILOT STATED THEY TOOK THE DRONE OFF  AND BROUGHT THE DRONE TO A STABLE HOVER. PILOT STATED THAT AS THEY WERE REPOSITIONING THEMSELVES, THE DRONE BEGAN A SLOW DESCENT.  PILOT STATED BY THE TIME THEY REALIZED THE DRONE WAS DESCENDING, IT HAD DESCENDED BELOW THE TOPS OF THE VINES. PILOT STATED THEY TRIED TO RECOVER THE DRONE , BUT THE DRONE WAS ALREADY ENTANGLED IN VINES. PILOT STATED THEY TRIED TO RECOVER THE AIRCRAFT, BUT THE DRONE WAS ENTANGLED IN VINES AND THEY COULDN'T MAKE IT CLIMB. THE PILOT STATED THE DRONE THE MAIN ROTOR STRUCK A SUPPORT POLE AND THE HELICOPTER SETTLED CROSSWAYS BETWEEN ROWS WITH SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO MAIN ROTOR BLADES, TAIL ROTOR, LAND SKIDS AND COWL. PILOT STATED THERE WERE NO CHEMICAL, FUEL, OR OIL SPILLS AND NO INJURIES OR SIGNIFICANT PROPERTY DAMAGE.

THE DRONE HAS A MAX GROSS TAKEOFF WEIGHT OF LESS THAN 300 LBS AND THEREFORE THIS EVENT IS NOT CONSIDERED AS AN UNMANNED AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT PER 49 CFR 830.

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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