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20230707013279A

Accident · Minor damage
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FAA accident report · Aircraft · Fawnskin, CA · July 7, 2023

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Date
July 7, 2023 · 16:50 local
Place
Fawnskin, CA
Phase of flight
Landing: Approach
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
NONE
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0

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 July 07, 2023 a UAS (unmanned aircraft) registration number FA3TTEM3CM was flying in a sparsely populated area north of Fawnskin, CA. According to the pilot who was contacted on July 24, 2023, this was a sensor testing, contract gathering data mission for privacy data omitted as a contractor. The report sent to the pubafrs group wsa and the riverside FSDO stated that this was a manual launch and ascent, followed by a 20 second autonomous flight path. On completion, when executing a manual return to the launch site, autonomous flight resumed and control of the return and ground station manual commands were ignored, instead of positioning above and next to the driver’s side of the car, it went up and moved left hitting the driver’s side rear view mirror. The pilot stated that he did not notice the loss of control since the direction was the same as a normal return to base. The drone was returned to the manufacturer for troubleshooting. No root cause has been determined at this time. There were no injuries with greater than $500 dollars damage to the car. This investigation is considered closed at this time with no further action.

As the FAA filed it

ON JULY 07, 2023 A UAS (UNMANNED AIRCRAFT) REGISTRATION NUMBER FA3TTEM3CM WAS FLYING IN A SPARSELY POPULATED AREA NORTH OF FAWNSKIN, CA. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT WHO WAS CONTACTED ON JULY 24, 2023, THIS WAS A SENSOR TESTING, CONTRACT GATHERING DATA MISSION FOR ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AS A CONTRACTOR. THE REPORT SENT TO THE PUBAFRS GROUP WSA AND THE RIVERSIDE FSDO STATED THAT THIS WAS A MANUAL LAUNCH AND ASCENT, FOLLOWED BY A 20 SECOND AUTONOMOUS FLIGHT PATH. ON COMPLETION, WHEN EXECUTING A MANUAL RETURN TO THE LAUNCH SITE, AUTONOMOUS FLIGHT RESUMED AND CONTROL OF THE RETURN AND GROUND STATION MANUAL COMMANDS WERE IGNORED, INSTEAD OF POSITIONING ABOVE AND NEXT TO THE DRIVER’S SIDE OF THE CAR, IT WENT UP AND MOVED LEFT HITTING THE DRIVER’S SIDE REAR VIEW MIRROR. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE DID NOT NOTICE THE LOSS OF CONTROL SINCE THE DIRECTION WAS THE SAME AS A NORMAL RETURN TO BASE. THE DRONE WAS RETURNED TO THE MANUFACTURER FOR TROUBLESHOOTING. NO ROOT CAUSE HAS BEEN DETERMINED AT THIS TIME. THERE WERE NO INJURIES WITH GREATER THAN $500 DOLLARS DAMAGE TO THE CAR. THIS INVESTIGATION IS CONSIDERED CLOSED AT THIS TIME WITH NO FURTHER ACTION.