UK drone accident

[DaveReidUK]

The UK AAIB reports that it has sent a go team to investigate an accident involving a UAV that occurred near Goodwood, West Sussex.

It may or may not be a coincidence that Goodwood is currently hosting the annual Festival of Speed, at which the 124 mph Airspeeder electric racing car today makes its airborne public debut.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/481x321/airspeeder_de2963d00a2bbb8342eb02019f4938909a2b664d.jpg

Whether it was or not, hopefully no casualties involved.

Airspeeder (https://airspeeder.com/)

[GLIDER 90]

Climate protesters are planning on bringing disruption to London Heathrow Airport this summer, by unleashing drones at the airport. I hope that the authorities clamp down hard on these lot we don't want another Gatwick fiasco!!!

[cwatters]

Goodwood seems to be taking a proactive role and providing advice on the drone rule changes, including giving details of who to apply to for permission. But no drones are allowed at FOS 2019..

https://www.goodwood.com/flying/aerodrome/flying-drones-at-goodwood/

Important: Due to the increased levels of aircraft activity between the 4th and 7th July, we are unable to give permission for any drone activity within the Goodwood Flight Restricted Zone. Any operation of a drone/UAV is prohibited on the Festival of Speed site due to intensive helicopter pleasure flying and air display activity.

[Euclideanplane]

Climate protesters are planning on bringing disruption to London Heathrow Airport this summer, by unleashing drones at the airport. I hope that the authorities clamp down hard on these lot we don't want another Gatwick fiasco!!!
Isn't the distance of more than 60 km from Chichester to LHR a bit much for a drone to overcome though?

[DaveReidUK]

But no drones are allowed at FOS 2019

Airborne racer Airspeeder MK4 to debut at FOS 2019

https://www.goodwood.com/grr/event-coverage/festival-of-speed/2019/6/airborne-racer-airspeeder-mk4-to-debut-at-fos-2019/ (https://www.goodwood.com/grr/event-coverage/festival-of-speed/2019/6/airborne-racer-airspeeder-mk4-to-debut-at-fos-2019/)

[DaveReidUK]

My initial supposition that it was the Airspeeder appears to have been correct: Flying race car revealed at Goodwood - but test flight doesn't go to plan (https://www.mirror.co.uk/tech/alauda-reveals-flying-race-car-17470672)

I can't imagine that the AAIB will be thrilled with the suggestion that it was a "test flight" taking place at a public event (the venue and/or the size of the UAV presumably explains their involvement).

[pilot_tolip]

Does anyone have any actual facts about this accident?

[pilot_tolip]

thanks donkeygone

[Thruster763]

A 3m long UAV (3/4 scale of manned version) having a crash the night before, being rebuilt and the loosing control and climbing vertically out of sight will certainly get the attention of CAA and AAIB.
https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/tech-innovation/test-flight-of-flying-race-car-gets-mixed-results-at-goodwood/5140995.article

It makes you wonder what approvals and clearances they had in place.

[PerPurumTonantes]

All credit to the aussie "bro's" building this thing, certainly looks a lot of fun. But what would the procedure be for single engine failure?

Won't stay up in the air like fixed wing, won't autorotate like a heli, would most likely flip over? Bit of work to be done on that before I'll be getting in one...

[DaveReidUK]

230 kg @ 200 kph. What could possibly go wrong ?

yh1bW548N_0

[Out Of Trim]

EEK..

Are these Aussies from Darwin by any chance? :E

[capngrog]

With all of the excitement and panic about "drones" one would expect the authorities (e.g., AAIB) to be jumping right into an investigation of this accident; however, in looking around the internet, I've been unable to discover any details on the accident. While there is a lot of promotional material on the Airspeeder available, I haven't encountered any real information on the accident. In the U.S., the NTSB would issue an initial statement of the currently known facts of the accident within hours of the arrival of their investigation team. Does the UK AAIB do the same? Anyway, the most information I've been able to find out about the accident is a vague description that it went out of control, climbed out of sight, returned and " ... dropped at some speed to the ground in a field nearby." I would think that there would be more information available at this point in time.

[TCAS FAN]

A 3m long UAV (3/4 scale of manned version)
It makes you wonder what approvals and clearances they had in place.

Anything above 20KG mass needs a CAA Permission or Exemption to fly in UK.

[pilot_tolip]

The Festival of Speed is happening at Goodwood over the next few days, with shed loads of helicopter and fixed-wing movements. Why on Earth allow an experimental UAV in such crowded airspace in South East of England. This seems bonkers, to the point of irresponsible.

[DaveReidUK]

capngrog

No, that's not how we do things in the UK. :O

With most AAIB investigations, we don't get to know anything about the findings until the final report is published.

The exceptions tend to be fatal accidents and/or those where the AAIB makes one or more Safety Recommendations while the investigation is in progress. In those cases, a Special Bulletin may be published (sometimes several) as the investigation progresses, the most recent being in connection with the accident that killed footballer Emiliano Sala (https://www.gov.uk/aaib-reports/aaib-special-bulletin-s1-2019-on-piper-pa-46-310p-malibu-n264db).

Special Bulletins are very much the exception - since 2000 there have been around 75, so about four per year on average. I wouldn't expect one for this latest event.

[sooty655]

pilot_tolip

Perhaps that's why this "demonstration" was before FoS opened, and to what was described as an "invited" audience.

[futurama]

PerPurumTonantes

On a quad motor design, a single engine failure will cause a violent rotation -- analogous to losing the tail rotor on a heli. The quad may or may not flip due to asymmetric thrust.

I believe the full scale Airspeeder will be an octocopter (8 motors) so it should be able to tolerate the loss of a single motor.

[Joe_K]

TCAS FAN


CAA even have a webpage on this: https://www.caa.co.uk/Commercial-industry/Aircraft/Unmanned-aircraft/Large-unmanned-aircraft/

"Unlike small drones, unmanned aircraft with an operating mass of more than 20 kg are subject to the whole of the UK Aviation regulations (as listed within the UK Air Navigation Order - ANO), although they may be exempted from certain requirements by the CAA.
Because of this, any person intending to operate an unmanned aircraft with a mass of more than 20kg within the UK must obtain a specific authorisation, in the form of an exemption from some of the requirements of the ANO before any flight can take place. "

[Nige321]

The AAIB report is out.

It's an 'interesting' read... :eek:

AAIB report... (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/602bb22f8fa8f50388f9f000/Alauda_Airspeeder_Mk_II_UAS_reg_na_03-21.pdf)

After the Airspeeder Mk II failed to respond to control inputs it entered an uncontrolled climb at maximum power.

Operation of an independent kill switch had no effect and the aircraft continued to climb for 41⁄2 minutes, drifting with the wind and reaching a height of approximately 8,000 ft.

The aircraft infringed controlled airspace over a radio navigation beacon used as a holding point for Gatwick Airport.

After depletion of the batteries, the aircraft fell to the ground in a field, 40 m from occupied houses and 875 m from its launch point.

The operation of the Airspeeder Mk II during the accident flight breached conditions of the exemption granted by the CAA for the flight.

[Mr Optimistic]

Think you've missed out the best bits,
22 year old operator, 18 hrs on type not to mention,
The AAIB found that the Alauda Airspeeder Mk II was not designed, built or tested to any recognisable standards and that its design and build quality were of a poor standard. The operator’s Operating Safety Case contained several statements that were shown to be untrue.

[DaveReidUK]

95 kg of UAV freefalls from 8,000 ft and lands 40 m from a group of houses - you couldn't make this stuff up.

Inadequate (bordering on non-existent) oversight of a bunch of cowboys.

[osborne]

"Alauda is pioneering the future of racing motorsport"

A lauda ? Niki was a thoughtful and thorough man. I'm not sure he'd have had anything to do with this mob.

[Maoraigh1]

Latin for a skylark. Nothing to do with Niki. Julius Caesar had a Legion made of Gauls known as "Alauda".

[spitfirek5054]

He took the best bits from each one?

[paulross]

A couple of quotes from the report:

"All the [flight control system] assemblies failed an evaluation against all IPC A-610 classes due to quality and workmanship issues. Examples included misaligned components, burnt insulation, the use of solder bridges, excessive flux residues and a power connector that appeared to be installed in the incorrect orientation..."

"During the course of the investigation the operator demonstrated little knowledge or understanding of appropriate industry standards, in particular, those relating to airworthiness and for developing electronic hardware and software."

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/602bb22f8fa8f50388f9f000/Alauda_Airspeeder_Mk_II_UAS_reg_na_03-21.pdf

[Richard Dangle]

Assuming this follows the course of just about every other accident report since the dawn of mankind, the professionalism and forensic detail will be lost to the fog of time, coz, no casualties = no headlines = no action.

Cynic...moi?

yeah...I can read. I see all the recommendations...tis not really my point.

[DaveReidUK]

What other actions would you have liked to see, apart from actioning the recommendations ?

[paulross]

Page 60 of the report might be relevant: "The operator conducted their own investigation into the accident which included a detailed review of its processes and procedures. As part of this process, they generated 53 recommendations for improvement and, as of December 2020, all actions had either been completed or were being in the process of implementation."

[ShyTorque]

Oh, well that’s alright then, job done.

:oh:

[Alanwsg]

From 'The register', with some pictures showing the quality of the 'workmanship'.
It looks awful!

https://www.theregister.com/2021/02/19/airspeeder_alauda_drone_goodwood_investigation/

[The Nr Fairy]

Interesting article in The Register about a 95kg drone, poorly designed and manufactured, which climbed out of control into the Gatwick TMA. https://www.theregister.com/2021/02/19/airspeeder_alauda_drone_goodwood_investigation/

And the AAIB report is at https://www.gov.uk/aaib-reports/aaib-investigation-to-alauda-airspeeder-mk-ii-uas-registration-n-slash-a-040719

From the report intro blurb:The AAIB found that the Alauda Airspeeder Mk II was not designed, built or tested to any recognisable standards and that its design and build quality were of a poor standard. The operator’s Operating Safety Case contained several statements that were shown to be untrue.

The Civil Aviation Authority’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Unit had assessed the operator’s application and, after clarification and amendment of some aspects, issued an exemption to the Air Navigation Order to allow flights in accordance with the operator’s Operating Safety Case. The Civil Aviation Authority did not meet the operator or inspect the Alauda Airspeeder Mk II before the accident flight.

[safetypee]

See the discussion at https://www.pprune.org/accidents-close-calls/623202-uk-drone-accident-2.html#post10993991

[Nige321]

Alanwsg

Those pictures are lifted from the report...

[India Four Two]

I've read the whole report. What I find incomprehensible is that the CAA approved the operation of a prototype drone, imported for the purposes of a commercial demonstration, without even seeing it!

I offer this royalty-free headline to the Daily Mail:

Remotely Piloted Aircraft Remotely Approved!

[meleagertoo]

I've read the whole report. What I find incomprehensible is that the CAA approved the operation of a prototype drone, imported for the purposes of a commercial demonstration, without even seeing it!

I offer this royalty-free headline to the Daily Mail:

Remotely Piloted Aircraft Remotely Approved!
Taking a cue from the FAA/Boeing style of 'oversight' one assumes?

[biscuit74]

Strewth - the CAA certainly seem to have approached supervision of that exercise a tad casually. Given how rigorously they expect pilots, designers and engineers/maintainers of full size aeroplanes to behave and how much fuss has been made about radio control aircraft models and their control, this one seems to have been allowed to slip through rather too easily !

A 90Kg flying object effectively out of control at a public event is a darn scary thought.