- Date
- November 10, 2023, 13:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- Pendleton, OR
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N692PAAmazon.Com Services MK27-2
- Defining event
- Landing: Fuel exhaustion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20231110022309A
- Case key
- 193376
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 operator’s use of an insufficiently charged battery that resulted in a total loss of engine power and subsequent impact with terrain.
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
The operator of the unmanned aircraft system (UAS) reported that during a test flight, the UAS descended, delivered a package to the practice location, and began a vertical climb to return to the landing zone. During the vertical climb, the UAS registered a low voltage health alert and initiated an “urgent land maneuver.” During the maneuver, the UAS battery depleted to a point where it lost propulsive power, and impacted terrain, resulting in substantial damage to all 4 wings, and spar damage to the number 2, 3, and 4 wings. Postaccident review of the circumstances surrounding the flight by the operator revealed that an insufficiently charged battery had been installed on the UAS. The operator reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the UAS that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N692PA
- Reported as
- Amazon.Com Services MK27-2
- Category
- Helicopter, unmanned
- Serial number
- 17868SN000777
- Built
- 2023
- Airframe hours
- 14.54
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight test · Part 91
- Operator
- Amazon.Com Services LLC
- Registered owner
- Amazon.Com Services LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · November 10, 2023
- Airport
- PDT · Eastern Oregon Rgnl At Pendleton
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
- 42
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Remote, Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 10, 2023
- Seat
- None
- Restraint
- None
- Flight hours
- 1,506 total · 53 in this make and model · 1,506 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 10 knots
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.16 inHg
- Observed at
- KPDT
- METAR
- METAR KPDT 101953Z 28010KT 10SM FEW060 12/02 A3016 RMK AO2 SLP213 T01170022=
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 4, 2024, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.2 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.