20240201000249A

Accident · Minor damage

FAA accident report · Aircraft · Rutledge, MN · February 1, 2024

Date
February 1, 2024 · 15:00 local
Place
Rutledge, MN
Phase of flight
Landing: Approach
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
NONE
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
1
Pilot’s flight hours
65 total65 in this make and model47 in the last 90 days

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.

The suas operator did not verify all landing legs were appropriately secured prior to flight. During flight, the left landing gear leg fell off the aircraft. The suas operator elected to have his coworker try to "catch" the UAS. Once the coworker was able to grasp the attached landing leg, the UAS attempted to correct to maintain it's last commanded position. This casued the aircraft to become unstabilized, striking the coworker multiple times and causing injury.

As the FAA filed it

THE SUAS OPERATOR DID NOT VERIFY ALL LANDING LEGS WERE APPROPRIATELY SECURED PRIOR TO FLIGHT. DURING FLIGHT, THE LEFT LANDING GEAR LEG FELL OFF THE AIRCRAFT. THE SUAS OPERATOR ELECTED TO HAVE HIS COWORKER TRY TO "CATCH" THE UAS. ONCE THE COWORKER WAS ABLE TO GRASP THE ATTACHED LANDING LEG, THE UAS ATTEMPTED TO CORRECT TO MAINTAIN IT'S LAST COMMANDED POSITION. THIS CASUED THE AIRCRAFT TO BECOME UNSTABILIZED, STRIKING THE COWORKER MULTIPLE TIMES AND CAUSING INJURY.