# Incident 20250218002899I: Mayaguez, PR, February 18, 2025

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: February 18, 2025, 16:30 local time
- Place: Mayaguez, PR
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Ground/Ramp/Ma
- Location: 18.2012° N, 67.1418° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Mayagüez, PR, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=18.2012&lon=-67.1418&mi=10
- Aircraft: NONE (not matched to a registry record)
- People aboard: 0
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 1
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20250218002899I

## Narrative

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

ON TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2025, THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION RECEIVED A SAFETY EVENT REPORT FROM UAS PART 107 CERTIFICATED PILOT, CERTIFICATE NO. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. THE PILOT IS AN ENGINEERING STUDENT WITH THE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, LOCATED IN MAYAGUEZ, PR., WHERE THE EVENT TOOK PLACE. AS PART OF HIS ENGINEERING COURSE, THE PILOT IN COMMAND WAS PERFORMING GROUND CALIBRATION TESTING IN A HOMEBUILT UAS DRONE, PROFESSIONAL-GRADE HEXACOPTER, MODEL PIXHAWK 6X PRO ON TAROT, REGISTRATION NO. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. THE UAS WAS GOING TO BE UTILIZE FOR SPECIALIZED APPLICATIONS LIKE SURVEYING, 3D MAPPING AND 3D PHOTOGRAPHY OF THE UNIVERSITY CAMPUS.

THE PIC STATED THAT THIS WAS THE FIRST FLIGHT WITH THE UAS AFTER IT WAS BUILT, WHILE PERFORMING PREFLIGHT CHECK UAS CALIBRATION, THE UAS HAD AN ISSUE WITH THE PROGRAMMING OF THE MAIN BATTERY THAT WAS DISPLAYING 102 VOLTS(V), HOWEVER, THE UAS BATTERY IS A 72V BATTERY. THE PIC PUT HIS FRSKY-X8D PLUS REMOTE CONTROL TO THE SIDE AND CONNECTED HIS LAPTOP COMPUTER TO THE UAS TO CALIBRATE THE UAS BATTERY VOLTAGE, WHEN IT WAS ARMED, THE PIC ENTERED THE COMMAND FOR 72V AND THE DRONE ACTIVATED OUT OF CONTROL FALLING INTO THE PIC. THE PIC SUSTAINED HEAD INJURIES REQUIRING 8 STITCHES. THERE WAS NO PROPERTY DAMAGE OTHER THAN THE DRONE WHICH HAD MINOR SCUFF. HE ALSO INDICATED THAT HE WAS POSITIONED APPROXIMATELY FIVE FEET AWAY FROM THE DRONE AT THE TIME OF THE OCCURRENCE AND MENTIONED THE PRESENCE OF TWO ADDITIONAL OBSERVERS AT A GREATER DISTANCE.

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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