8 Ways Drones Have Disastrously Crashed, Causing the FAA to Hate Them
The FAA is worried about the popularity of drones rising, and if you’ve ever watched a video of drone crashes or read a news article about one, it’s easy to see why. This list of 8 ways drones have crashed in the past will make you wonder why anyone would trust flying something with so many parts in the air.
How an impatient pilot caused a $200k drone crash
Just one careless action can lead to an expensive catastrophe. An impatient pilot’s risky decision to move his drone closer and outside of his line of sight set off a chain reaction that resulted in a $200k crash. It was so dangerous that the federal government imposed new rules which require pilots to stay within their line of sight or risk having their drone taken away.
The fine line between crashing and flying
A drone is a lot like an RC car, you don’t want to fall off a cliff or get stuck in some tree branches. On top of that, crashing your drone is expensive because they aren’t cheap in the first place and most likely can’t be fixed. If you’re going to take your new drone out for its maiden voyage, we recommend flying it in an open area with as few people around as possible and doing simple maneuvers at first.
This pilot didn’t bother with landings
All too often drone pilots can be careless with the laws. There are many dangers of not following regulations and one is an accident caused by a lack of knowledge about how drones work. For example, one pilot figured out that there was no landing gear on their drone so they landed it using its propellers. This had horrible consequences as the propeller blades hit rocks and it caused all parts to go flying and damaged nearby crops.
A single screw caused this multi-thousand-dollar crash
In one of the most spectacular drone failures on record, a hobbyist lost control of his aircraft and watched in horror as it plunged into a building below. The culprit? A tiny screw that popped out of place and dislodged an internal sensor. This is just one example of how drones can fail–another more dramatic mishap occurred when a drone exploded into flames in mid-air during transport across New York City’s Central Park.
6 ways people lost their drones over water
- While snowboarding, he accidentally dropped his drone into a fresh powdery drift and couldn’t find it again.
- He threw his drone from the plane and watched as it floated away into oblivion.
- His friend flew his drone over a lake but completely forgot about its waterproof capabilities so when it landed in water, he did too.
- The worst thing that could happen to your lost drone happened – being driven over by a group of people walking on a bridge.
- Another person lost their drone while tubing down the river and noticed it was gone after they arrived at their destination.
- And one man even drove over his own drone with his truck because he didn’t see where he parked it.
Why you should always be aware of weather conditions
Weather conditions are an issue for drones because they don’t have as much power in their motors and when they fly too close to a storm it disrupts their signal. A good way to combat this is by never flying near heavy winds or storms. You should also avoid places with high levels of humidity which can prevent drones from flying at all. If you’re trying to take off your drone but it just isn’t working, it could be due to either too much sun (which causes interference) or rain/snow. If your drone is grounded due to bad weather then make sure you turn off its engines so that they don’t overheat.
If you’re going to fly at night make sure you can see your controller lights
Night is when all sorts of bad things can happen. It’s not as safe for someone on foot or bike to see a drone above them as it is during the day when it can be seen from any distance. If you’re going to fly at night make sure you can see your controller lights. Night is when all sorts of bad things can happen. It’s not as safe for someone on foot or bike to see a drone above them as it is during the day when it can be seen from any distance. Make sure that you never go more than 400 feet high and maintain sightline contact with your drone at all times so that if anything goes wrong you’ll know about it before its too late. Always use an approved antenna and avoid flying over people if possible.
Drone Catches Fire in mid-air Section: Near misses are still crashes. Section: 9 Insane Drone Mishaps That Made Headlines in 2015 Section: 5 things you must know about flying on private property Section: Amateur pilots who cause collisions are likely to be hit with fines up to $10,000
