ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 315432
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| Date: | Saturday 3 April 2021 |
| Time: | 23:37 |
| Type: | Parrot Anafi USA |
| Owner/operator: | Thames Valley Police |
| Registration: | unreg. |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | None |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Quarry Span Hill, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Survey |
| Departure airport: | Quarry Span Hill, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire |
| Investigating agency: | AAIB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
AAIB investigation to Parrot Anafi USA, (UAS registration n/a): Loss of control and flyaway, Quarry Span Hill (off the A4155) Henley on Thames, Oxfordshire, 3 April 2021.
The Parot Anafi USA was being operated at night above a quarry in a rural area, in support of police search operations. The pilot reported that he completed pre-flight checks and checked the weather forecast before the flight. He reported the actual weather conditions as a light easterly wind, visibility of more than 1 km, scattered cloud and a temperature of 3 to 4 degrees C.
The pilot reported that following a normal takeoff, he climbed the UA to 40 m above ground level at the edge of the quarry, before gradually positioning it over the quarry in the hover, approximately 120 m away from the takeoff point. He became aware of the presence of mist in the area where the UA was operating and stated that the blue LED visibility light on the UA was becoming harder to see.
As he was uncertain of the orientation of the UA, he activated the RTH (Return to Home) function but the aircraft did not fly towards the takeoff point as he expected. He recalled that he pressed RTH once again to cancel the command, but the UA continued to fly in a northerly direction until it was out of sight and the screen of the controller went black.
The UA was found undamaged the next day at approx. 23:40 BST in a playground approximately 3 miles (5 km) north of the takeoff point. According to the later BBC report (see link #2) "It later landed automatically" and "Chief Inspector Adrian Hall, from Thames Valley Police's Joint Operations Unit, said "individual and organisational learning was identified" after the incident and has been addressed. The drone is back in use"
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
1. AAIB Final Report: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/618a97368fa8f52985dd77b0/Parrot_Anafi_USA__UAS_registration_n_a__12-21.pdf
2. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-59609692
3. https://www.henleyherald.com/2021/12/14/amendments-to-police-drone-checklist-after-one-goes-missing-in-henley/
4. https://www.itv.com/news/meridian/2021-12-13/drone-lost-by-police-officer-found-the-next-day-in-childrens-playground
5. https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/19778118.air-accidents-investigations-branch-report-police-drone-lost-near-henley/
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 18-Jun-2023 19:20 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
| 18-Jun-2023 19:26 | harro | Updated |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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