ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 311570
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| Date: | Monday 20 February 2023 |
| Time: | |
| Type: | DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise Advanced |
| Owner/operator: | |
| Registration: | ZT-YIT |
| MSN: | MAV130 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Aircraft missing |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Seriti Welverdiend pump station -
 South Africa
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Survey |
| Departure airport: | |
| Investigating agency: | CAA S.A. |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On 20 February 2023, a remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) with registration ZT-YIT was engaged in a surveillance flight at the Seriti Welverdiend Pump Station in Mpumalanga province. Visual meteorological conditions (VMC) by night prevailed and the flight was conducted, under beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS).
The pilot report that he launched the RPA to survey the mine to check for potential suspects. During surveillance, he momentarily looked on his mobile phone to check the next surveillance position for the RPA. It was at this point that he noticed an error message “check battery” on the RPA’s controller. He then cancelled the error and activated the return-to-home (RTH) function. However, the screen of the controller went black, and the RPA did not return to its launch position. The pilot drove to the last known co-ordinates (location) of the RAP and after a search, he could not locate the RPA.
Later, he used a different RPA to continue the search, but the RPA was not found.
Probable Cause
Battery failure during flight caused the loss of communication between the RPA and the controller unit (C2-Link) after reaching 400 ft AGL; the RPA was not recovered.
Contributing Factor
The battery exceeded the 250 life cycles (life span) recommended by the manufacturer (battery’s end-of-life limit).
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
SACAA
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 16-Jun-2023 16:17 | harro | Updated |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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