This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.
Narrative: AAIB investigation to incident involving 638 Uvify Ifo UAVs on 16.5.2023: Swarm of 638 UAVs collided when out of formation, Norton St Phillip, near Bath, Somerset, 16 May 2023. The incident was the subject an AAIB investigation, published on 11 January 2024, and the following is the summary from the report:
"A swarm of 638 UAVs took off as part of a planned test of a light display. The preprogramed launch and animation flight were completed without incident. As the UAVs switched to ‘return to home’ mode they returned to their grid positions. Several UAVs then flew out of formation, before the pilot sent an emergency hold command to which the fleet responded, and all UAVs held their position.
A manual ‘return to home’ command was sent and the UAs returned to their grid formation. When the swarm began to descend the same UAVs again flew out of formation. The swarm was then landed in altitude order, due to concerns about battery endurance. All UAVs stayed within the planned geofence. Three UAVs sustained broken arms and there were several chipped propellers.
An investigation by the operator determined that deviations from the planned flight route were caused by flat batteries in the controller unit, which had been left switched on when stored. The operator has introduced a new procedure to remove all controller batteries when not in use"
=Nature of Damage= Per the above AAIB Report "Significant damage to two UAVs" (out of the swarm of 638)
Norton St Philip is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England. The village lies about 5+1⁄2 miles (9 km) south of the city of Bath and 5 miles (8 km) north of the town of Frome on the eastern slopes of the Mendip Hills. It is situated on the A366 between Trowbridge and Radstock, and on the B3110 between Bath and Frome.