ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 346336
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| Date: | Thursday 29 December 2022 |
| Time: | 07:15 UTC |
| Type: | Premier Aviation Cullinan PA290E |
| Owner/operator: | |
| Registration: | ZT-WWR |
| MSN: | PAV29001E2020 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Grootegeluk Mine, Lephalale -
 South Africa
|
| Phase: | Initial climb |
| Nature: | Aerial patrol |
| Departure airport: | Grootegeluk Mine, Lephalale |
| Grootegeluk Mine, Lephalale | |
| Investigating agency: | CAA S.A. |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) with registration ZT-WWR took off on a surveillance flight at Grootegeluk Mine in Lephalale, Limpopo province. The flight was conducted under beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS).
Prior to the accident flight, the pilot reported that at around 0600Z, he conducted a flight on which he measured the pits. During this flight, the pilot received an error message on the remote pilot station which stated “AP-Logger: struck thread (write)”. The pilot completed the flight and, upon landing the UAS, he decided to clear the flight log in preparation for the next flight by disconnecting the UAS from the remote pilot station and connecting it to the computer to download the flight log and clear the error message. Thereafter, he took the UAS to the launch spot where he replaced the battery and prepared it for the next flight.
The pilot launched the UAS and, during transitioning, he noticed that the wings were not connected. As he was considering his next move, he noticed the UAS descending at a high speed and impacted the ground approximately 280 metres (m) from the launch spot. The UAS was substantially damaged. No persons on the ground were injured during the accident sequence.
Probable Cause(s)
The UAS’s wings were not attached during the pre-flight inspection, which resulted in the inability of the UAS to gain lift, and it subsequently crashed to the ground.
Contributing Factor(s)
Improper pre-flight inspection.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
CAASA
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 07-Oct-2023 12:37 | harro | Added |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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