- Date
- August 12, 2025, 16:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- Depew, IA · Lat Long from first responders
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N467GEXag P100 PRO
- Defining event
- Takeoff: AC/prop/rotor contact w person
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA
- Case key
- 200778
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from the unmanned aircraft system during takeoff.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
After the pilot completed the preflight of the quadcopter style unmanned aircraft system (UAS), he backed away from the UAS and initiated takeoff. As the UAS began to take off, the pilot walked back towards the UAS to retrieve old batteries. As he bent over to pick up the batteries, he sensed the UAS was too close to him, and he raised his hands to shield his face. The UAS rotor blade contacted his hand resulting in a serious injury. The operator also reported that one of the rotor blades needed to be replaced.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N467GE
- Reported as
- Xag P100 PRO
- Category
- Helicopter, unmanned
- Serial number
- 1863FPEG8219323A0Y25
- Engines
- Xag A50, electricXag A50, electricXag A50, electricXag A50, electric
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Eternity Agri Services LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- None
- Departed
- Depew, IA
- Equipment
- None
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 21
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Remote
- Last flight review
- June 26, 2025
- Seat
- None
- Restraint
- None
- Flight hours
- 150 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 350° at 8 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 68 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.96 inHg
- Observed at
- KAXA, 15 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KAXA 122055Z AUTO 35008G15KT 10SM FEW037 FEW044 27/20 A2996 RMK A01=
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 18, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.1 MB in all.