ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 315349
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| Date: | Friday 24 February 2023 |
| Time: | 21:57 UTC |
| Type: | ARACE SIRIN |
| Owner/operator: | |
| Registration: | ZT-XXN |
| MSN: | SIR0078 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Pullens Hope -
 South Africa
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Survey |
| Departure airport: | |
| Investigating agency: | CAA S.A. |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
An Arace Sirin remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) with registration ZT-XXN was launched for a surveillance operation at Pullens Hope in Mpumalanga province when the accident occurred. The flight was conducted beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) by night.
The pilot stated that after completing his pre-flight checks which were normal, he radioed another RPA pilot in the area to confirm their operating level. The RPA was set-up to return to launch position should it lose signal. At 2134Z, the RPA was launched to 300 feet (ft) above ground level (AGL) with 100% battery power. The RPA flew along the railway line for approximately 3 kilometres (km) and, after following a curve along the railway line, it lost signal. The pilot refreshed the controller unit after it had lost signal but with no success. Approximately 10 seconds later, he got into the car and drove towards the direction of the RPA with the hope of re-establishing the connection. The pilot also contacted the Dispatch division to confirm if the RPA was returning to launch. However, the Dispatch division was not tracking the RPA; they only gave the pilot the last known position. The RPA search yielded no positive results as it was nighttime; however, it was found inside one of the power station’s cooling towers the following morning. According to Hendrina Power Station, the height of the cooling tower is 116m (371 ft) and the base diameter is 80 metres (m) (256 ft). The RPA sustained substantial damage. No injuries were reported during this accident
Probable Cause
The RPA lost signal with the controller unit as it was flown behind the cooling towers which resulted in the RPA engaging a RTL mode; however, the programmed straight line RTL path cut through the cooling towers, and this led to the impact.
Contributing Factors
The RPA’s flight path followed the railway line which curved behind the cooling towers, this led to the RPA engaging an RTL mode after losing signal, and thus, the subsequent impact with the tower.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
SACAA
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 16-Jun-2023 13:42 | harro | Added |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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