ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 264861
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| Date: | Thursday 7 February 2019 |
| Time: | 10:22 UTC |
| Type: | Evolve Dynamics Sky Mantis |
| Owner/operator: | Evolve Dymanics |
| Registration: | Unregistered |
| MSN: | ED/SM68-00212 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Nailsea Fire Station, Pound Lane, Nailsea, Somerset -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Demo/Airshow/Display |
| Departure airport: | Nailsea Fire Station, Pound Lane, Nailsea, Somerset |
| Nailsea Fire Station, Pound Lane, Nailsea, Somerset | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities |
AAIB investigation to Evolve Dynamics Sky Mantis, UAS, registration n/a: Loss of power, Nailsea Fire Station, Pound Lane, Nailsea, Somerset, 7 February 2019. The AAIB Final Report was published on 11 July 2019, and the following is an excerpt from it:
"The Evolve Dynamics Sky Mantis is an all-weather long endurance quadcopter UAS, which is still under development. It has a maximum takeoff mass of 6.9 kg and a 60-minute endurance.
The pilot, who works for the UAS manufacturer, was operating the UAS on a demonstration flight. It was the first flight of the day and prior to taking off, the battery level indication had indicated a 100 % state of charge and a voltage of 25.2 V. The UAS took off at maximum takeoff mass and indicating an available flight time of 60 minutes. The pilot climbed the UAS to a height of 50 metres where it maintained a stable hover. It had been flying for approximately 5 minutes when the pilot initiated a control input to rotate the UAS about its yaw axis.
Whilst yawing, the UAS appeared to suffer a complete power failure; all four electric motors stopped and the UAS began descending rapidly. There were no associated warnings displayed on the controller and the UAS did not respond to any control inputs by the pilot. It entered autorotation at approximately 10 - 15 m above the ground, but this was insufficient to arrest the rate of descent and it struck the ground hard. The onboard battery ignited and the UAS was destroyed in the ensuing fire".
=Damage sustained to Airframe=
According to the above AAIB report "aircraft destroyed"
=Investigation by the UAS manufacturer=
The UAS manufacturer undertook an internal investigation to determine the cause of the power loss. It identified that the battery had not been fully locked in place during the accident flight and vibration had caused it to lose contact with the electrical connections, leading to the loss of power
=Subsequent Safety Action=
"The manufacturer has since updated the Sky Mantis Operations Manual to include an instruction to check that the battery is locked in place and will include this requirement in customer training. It also intends to install sensors in the battery lock mechanism which will prevent the aircraft from being able to fly if the battery is not correctly locked in place".
Sources:
1. AAIB Final Report: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5f46820ee90e07298ea3c844/Evolve_Dynamics_Sky_Mantis_UAS_07-19.pdf
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nailsea
3. https://www.avonfire.gov.uk/avon/documents/category/77-spend-over-500-2012
4. https://evolvedynamics.com/
Media:
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 28-Jun-2021 22:01 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
| 28-Jun-2021 22:02 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
| 28-Jun-2021 22:06 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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