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20240818010739I

Incident · No damage
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FAA incident report · Aircraft · Hutchinson, MN · August 18, 2024

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
August 18, 2024 · 17:23 local
Place
Hutchinson, MN
Phase of flight
Maneuver
Damage
No damage
Aircraft
NONE
People aboard
0
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
1
Pilot’s flight hours
70 total43 in this make and model2 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.

Ua fa registration number: FA3Y3F3YT9

Ua make, model, and serial number: dji phantom 4, no s/n

On 08/18/2024, remote pilot in command (rpic) was flying their dji phantom 4 (privacy data omitted) at the mcleod county fair in Hutchinson, MN when the drone crashed into a light pole, breaking apart, and falling to the ground striking a spectator causing injury.

According to rpic, they intended to use their drone to video the demolition derby and fairgrounds for the county fair social media account. Rpic was operating under part 107. Rpic took off and flew over the derby to just west of the grandstand. When they were in position to begin their footage run, they started by crossing over the crowd in the grandstand to the east end. They turned north northwest, flew about 175 feet to just north of the grandstand. According to rpic this is when the gimbal on the drone camera failed.

Rpic looked up to spot the drone, located it visually, then looked back down at their controller and attempted to fly the drone back to home by viewing through the malfunctioning camera. Camera was locked in a down looking position. After a few seconds the rpic looked up from their controller to confirm location of drone. Rpic noticed the drone was not located where they anticipated it would be as it was hitting the light pole.

The drone broke up and fell about 50 feet to the ground. Due to the velocity at the time of the crash, and the height, one of the pieces that fell struck a female in the head causing an injury to her head require medical assistance. Additionally, another piece that fell into the crowd led to a physical altercation between spectators over a misunderstanding of what took place. The injured female spectator was unable to walk and was transported to a local emergency room for continued treatment.

During the course of the investigation, it was determined that the rpic was noncertificated, drone was improperly registered as a modelist, drone was not broadcasting remote id (rid), operated over people, operated over moving vehicles, and it was not the rpic that reported the safety event to the FAA but the injured party. Rpic admitted to all this.

As the FAA filed it

UA FA REGISTRATION NUMBER: FA3Y3F3YT9

UA MAKE, MODEL, AND SERIAL NUMBER: DJI PHANTOM 4, NO S/N

ON 08/18/2024, REMOTE PILOT IN COMMAND (RPIC) WAS FLYING THEIR DJI PHANTOM 4 (^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^) AT THE MCLEOD COUNTY FAIR IN HUTCHINSON, MN WHEN THE DRONE CRASHED INTO A LIGHT POLE, BREAKING APART, AND FALLING TO THE GROUND STRIKING A SPECTATOR CAUSING INJURY.

ACCORDING TO RPIC, THEY INTENDED TO USE THEIR DRONE TO VIDEO THE DEMOLITION DERBY AND FAIRGROUNDS FOR THE COUNTY FAIR SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNT. RPIC WAS OPERATING UNDER PART 107. RPIC TOOK OFF AND FLEW OVER THE DERBY TO JUST WEST OF THE GRANDSTAND. WHEN THEY WERE IN POSITION TO BEGIN THEIR FOOTAGE RUN, THEY STARTED BY CROSSING OVER THE CROWD IN THE GRANDSTAND TO THE EAST END. THEY TURNED NORTH NORTHWEST, FLEW ABOUT 175 FEET TO JUST NORTH OF THE GRANDSTAND. ACCORDING TO RPIC THIS IS WHEN THE GIMBAL ON THE DRONE CAMERA FAILED.

RPIC LOOKED UP TO SPOT THE DRONE, LOCATED IT VISUALLY, THEN LOOKED BACK DOWN AT THEIR CONTROLLER AND ATTEMPTED TO FLY THE DRONE BACK TO HOME BY VIEWING THROUGH THE MALFUNCTIONING CAMERA. CAMERA WAS LOCKED IN A DOWN LOOKING POSITION. AFTER A FEW SECONDS THE RPIC LOOKED UP FROM THEIR CONTROLLER TO CONFIRM LOCATION OF DRONE. RPIC NOTICED THE DRONE WAS NOT LOCATED WHERE THEY ANTICIPATED IT WOULD BE AS IT WAS HITTING THE LIGHT POLE.

THE DRONE BROKE UP AND FELL ABOUT 50 FEET TO THE GROUND. DUE TO THE VELOCITY AT THE TIME OF THE CRASH, AND THE HEIGHT, ONE OF THE PIECES THAT FELL STRUCK A FEMALE IN THE HEAD CAUSING AN INJURY TO HER HEAD REQUIRE MEDICAL ASSISTANCE. ADDITIONALLY, ANOTHER PIECE THAT FELL INTO THE CROWD LED TO A PHYSICAL ALTERCATION BETWEEN SPECTATORS OVER A MISUNDERSTANDING OF WHAT TOOK PLACE. THE INJURED FEMALE SPECTATOR WAS UNABLE TO WALK AND WAS TRANSPORTED TO A LOCAL EMERGENCY ROOM FOR CONTINUED TREATMENT.

DURING THE COURSE OF THE INVESTIGATION, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE RPIC WAS NONCERTIFICATED, DRONE WAS IMPROPERLY REGISTERED AS A MODELIST, DRONE WAS NOT BROADCASTING REMOTE ID (RID), OPERATED OVER PEOPLE, OPERATED OVER MOVING VEHICLES, AND IT WAS NOT THE RPIC THAT REPORTED THE SAFETY EVENT TO THE FAA BUT THE INJURED PARTY. RPIC ADMITTED TO ALL THIS.