# Accident 20230621007359A: Amazon.Com Services LLC MK27-2, Pendleton, OR, June 21, 2023 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: June 21, 2023, 09:20 local time - Place: Pendleton, OR - Airport: Eastern Oregon Regional Airpor - Damage: Destroyed - Phase of flight: Other, Specify - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Operator: 4MZA - Location: 45.6951° N, 118.8434° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at EASTERN OREGON RGNL AT PENDLETON (PDT), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=45.6951&lon=-118.8434&mi=10 - Aircraft: N470PA, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N470PA-2024-01-02) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Amazon.Com Services MK27-2 (registry code 06102CG, https://openairdocs.org/model/amazon-com-services-mk27-2) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Amateur-built UNKNOWN ENG (registry code 99999, https://openairdocs.org/engine/amateur-built-unknown-eng) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: AMAZON.COM SERVICES LLC MK27-2 - Reported engine: AMA/EXPR UNKNOWN ENG - People aboard: 0 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Other injuries: 0 - Pilot certificates: Private pilot - Pilot flight hours: 71 total, 71 in this make and model, 24 in the last 90 days - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20230621007359A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. ? A/C WAS PERFORMING RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT OPERATIONS (91) FROM THE PENDLETON (KPDT) AIRPORT ? NO INJURIES TO ANY PEOPLE ? OTHER THAN THE A/C, NO PROPERTY DAMAGE ? THE A/C WAS CONNECTED TO SHORE POWER AND BEGAN ITS BOOT UP AND INITIALIZATION PROCEDURES PER THE DRONE FLIGHT MANUAL (DFM) CHECKLIST ? 113.9 SECONDS LATER, THE RED LIGHT (LOCATED ON THE NOSE OF THE A/C) TURNS OFF (GREEN LIGHT ON), AT WHICH TIME THE DRONE IS IN THE FIXED-WING ORIENTATION ON THE CART FACING 185 DEGREES. AFTER THE RED LIGHT TURNED OFF, THE CREW BEGAN TO MANIPULATE THE DRONE. ? QUOTE FROM DRONE FLIGHT MANUAL: “THE AIRCRAFT CANNOT BE MOVED AFTER POWER UP IN ORDER TO GIVE TIME TO THE INERTIAL NAVIGATION SYSTEM (INS) TO INITIALIZE CORRECTLY. DURING THIS TIME ALL SOFTWARE WILL BOOT, THE RED LIGHT WILL SWITCH OFF AFTER THIS PROCESS IS COMPLETE (APPROXIMATELY TWO (2) MINUTES).” ? 113 TO 157 SECONDS, THE NAVIGATION SYSTEM IS ATTEMPTING TO INITIALIZE BUT IS UNABLE TO BECAUSE OF EXCESSIVE MOTION OCCURRING. THE PHYSICAL MOVEMENT OF THE DRONE TO THE PAD, ROTATION TO THE VTOL POSITION, AND REMOVAL FROM THE CART OCCUR AND PREVENT PROPER INITIALIZATION OF NAVIGATION SYSTEM ? 157 TO 167 SECONDS, A STATIONARY PERIOD OCCURS AND THE NAVIGATION SYSTEM FINISHES INITIALIZATION, BUT BECAUSE OF THE ERROR INTRODUCED BY THE ROTATION ON THE CART, THE INITIALIZED HEADING IS OVER 100° AWAY FROM THE EXPECTED 185° VALUE. ? THE DFM AND PRE-FLIGHT CHECKLISTS INCLUDE A STEP TO VERIFY THAT THE HEADING DISPLAYED ON THE MISSION EXECUTION (MEX) WINDOW MATCHES THE ACTUAL ORIENTATION OF THE DRONE AS PLACED ON THE PAD WITHIN 20 DEGREES. DRONE LOG REVIEW INDICATES THAT THE HEADING DISPLAYED ON THE MEX WINDOW WAS ~80 DEGREES AT THE TIME IN THE PROCESS WHEN THE HEADING CHECK SHOULD HAVE BEEN COMPLETED. IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOTED BY THE OPERATOR THAT THIS CHECK DID NOT PASS, AND THEREFORE THE TAKEOFF SHOULD NOT HAVE PROCEEDED. O THE DISPLAYED HEADING AND THE ACTUAL ORIENTATION OF THE DRONE ON THE PAD HAS A LIMIT OF +/- 20°. IN THIS CASE, THE DIFFERENCE WAS APPROX. 100° ? 7 SECONDS AFTER TAKEOFF, A HEALTH ALERT GPS CAUTION (NAV-CA-001) POPULATED DURING VERTICAL ASCENT FROM TAKEOFF ON THE GROUND CONTROL STATION (GCS) ? A/C DEPARTED INTENDED FLIGHT PATH ? 32 SECONDS AFTER TAKEOFF, HEALTH ALERT, FLIGHT CRITICAL WARNING: NAV AND SENSING SYSTEM ESTIMATED POSVEL HORIZ DEGRADED (NAV-DT-002) POPULATED ON THE GCS ? A/C INITIATED AN URGENT LAND CONTINGENCY BUT WAS UNABLE TO EXECUTE DUE TO A CORRUPTION OF THE NAVIGATION COORDINATES ? THE A/C CONTACTED THE GROUND 59 SECONDS AFTER TAKEOFF AND 930 METERS FROM THE TAKEOFF PAD ? A/C WAS FLYING AT A HEADING OF APPROX. 30 DEGREES AND AN AIRSPEED OF APPROX 24 METERS PER SECOND (53.69 MPH) WHEN IT CONTACTED THE GROUND ## NTSB investigation None matched to this report by aircraft and date. Search the NTSB's own records: https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-main-public/basic-search 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.