During a short flight the unmanned aircraft collided with a building. The pilot reported he inadvertently pressed the wrong control lever. He did not hold the necessary qualification to operate the aircraft. The operator has implemented new procedures to prevent recurrence.
History of the flight
The university had purchased the unmanned aircraft (UA) to assist with research.
The university had registered as an ‘operator’ with the CAA.
On the day of the accident, the aircraft was being flown by a research student. It was his first flight of any UA and he had not undertaken any training. He intended to evaluate how the aircraft could be used to assist his research. He decided to fly it from the window of his living quarters on the third floor of the building, having confirmed there were no people in the vicinity.
After approximately 3 minutes of flight, whilst the aircraft was maintaining 10 meters above the ground, the pilot attempted to increase its height. However, he believes he inadvertently pressed the forward/backward stick instead of the up/down stick. The aircraft moved towards the building, collided with the wall and fell to the ground. No one was injured but the aircraft was extensively damaged.
The pilot did not know what mode the UA was operating in when the accident occurred.
