What happened
On March 8, 2016, an operator lost control of a Fly Eye unmanned aircraft (UAS) while operating within the EPD45 danger area at the Błędów Desert. The loss of command occurred during a Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) flight. Following the loss of control, the aircraft exited the protected military zone and entered Class G uncontrolled airspace.
Air traffic services were notified at approximately 12:40 UTC that the drone was traveling at a speed of 80–120 km/h at an altitude of approximately 250 meters. The aircraft maintained a southwesterly course toward the town of Żory. During the incident, air traffic controllers proactively notified various stakeholders, including the Katowice-Muchowiec (EPKM) airport, the Flight Information Service (FIS) Kraków, and HEMS (Helicopter Emergency Medical Service) crews operating in the area, including pilots of Robinson R-44 and Bella 407 helicopters.
After traveling approximately 75 km from its starting point, the aircraft was eventually located in a forest near Gostyń, north of Żory.
The investigation
The investigation, conducted by the Polish Air Navigation Services Agency (PAŻP), examined the sequence of communications and the technical behavior of the aircraft. Investigators established that while the aircraft was equipped with a FAIL-SAFE system designed to trigger a return-to-home procedure or loiter at altitude upon loss of link, the device failed to follow this protocol, instead drifting out of the designated zone.
The investigation also reviewed the responsiveness of the Air Traffic Services (ATS). It was noted that at the time of the incident, there were no established, standardized procedures for handling such occurrences. Consequently, the actions taken by the controllers were based on individual initiative rather than formal protocols.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was the loss of control by the operator over the unmanned aircraft.
- The aircraft's FAIL-SAFE procedure did not function as intended, as the drone did not return to the launch site but instead drifted into uncontrolled airspace.
- There was a lack of standardized ATS procedures for managing unauthorized or uncontrolled UAS incursions in the Polish airspace at the time of the event.
- The ability to track the drone's direction during the incident was considered a matter of chance rather than a reliable operational standard.