A drone operated by Nottinghamshire Police could have caused fatal injuries when it fell onto a residential road during an operational search, the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has found. No one was injured in the incident, but the agency said the aircraft’s speed and impact created a serious risk to people on the ground.
The DJI M300 was one of two unmanned aircraft deployed over West Bridgford at 03:20 BST on 1 June to search for suspects. It launched from the Asda car park, but suffered a problem involving one of its four motor arms minutes later. The drone lost control, descended approximately 380ft and crashed on Kingswood Road.
Loss of control followed motor-arm alert
The AAIB’s report said the aircraft initially took off without an apparent problem. Around four minutes into the flight, however, an alert instructed the remote pilot to land and inspect the motor arms. The drone then began to rotate without control and dropped out of sight before striking the street.
The impact left the aircraft damaged beyond repair. Debris was spread across an area measuring about 20m, while the drone’s batteries were thrown on to a nearby pavement. The AAIB said the manufacturer’s analysis identified the relevant technical issue, although the extracted report does not provide further detail on that analysis.
“If it had struck a person on the ground, it is likely that fatal injuries could have occurred,” the AAIB report said.
The investigation also examined the operation of the aircraft before launch. The 25-year-old remote pilot had accumulated 128 hours of flight experience before the event. He had placed the motor arms into their flight positions at the beginning of his shift, but the AAIB said there was no requirement for them to be checked again before every flight.
The report further found that the pilot had not completed pre-flight checks or recorded the take-off on body-worn video, despite those actions being recommended. The aircraft’s initial departure did not reveal an immediate problem, but the later alert required the pilot to land and check the arms before the loss of control.
Police force introduces additional checks
Nottinghamshire Police said it welcomed the AAIB report and had carried out its own internal safety investigation after the crash. That review examined contributing factors and opportunities for organisational learning, according to Sgt Vince Saunders.
The force said it introduced immediate mitigation measures, including enhanced pre-flight checks. It also said its approach included a commitment to continuous improvement and learning. The AAIB report records that no members of the public or police personnel were injured, despite the drone falling onto a residential street during the early-morning deployment.
- The DJI M300 crashed on Kingswood Road after losing control during a police search.
- The drone fell approximately 380ft and scattered debris across a 20m area.
- Nottinghamshire Police introduced enhanced pre-flight checks following the incident.
