Incident Overview
On December 21, 2024, about 1830 eastern standard time, multiple small unmanned aircraft (sUA) experienced a loss of control and rapid descent while performing at a sUA light show at Lake Eola in Orlando, Florida. The swarm consisted of 500 Uvify IFO drones, operated by Sky Elements LLC, doing business as Sky Elements Drone Shows. A minor child was impacted in the face and chest by a sUA and was seriously injured. Postaccident inspection revealed that numerous sUA impacted the ground and sustained substantial damage. The light show was operating under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 107 and a Certificate of Waiver and Authorization from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Drone and Setup Details
The Uvify IFO is a small swarm light show drone with four propellers, weighing about 2.18 pounds. Its dimensions are approximately 10.8 inches in length, 10.8 inches in width, and 4.9 inches in height. The remote pilot in command (RPIC) reported that the setup included preflight checks, software verification on show computers, and layout of the 500-drone grid on a peninsula in the northeast corner of Lake Eola.
Sequence of Events
Initially, about five aircraft were not accepting launch data. Standard troubleshooting of Wi-Fi access points was performed, and all 500 aircraft were located on the network about five minutes before showtime. A soft reboot of the entire fleet was conducted to bring all aircraft to “show ready” mode. After the reboot, all systems showed green except for two aircraft, which were removed from the show. The operational aircraft were armed and the countdown sequence initiated. At liftoff, it was noted that the aircraft “layers” did not lift uniformly. Further investigation revealed that the launch parameter file containing the final flight paths had not been sent, and that the show center was not completely aligned.
Show video confirmed that the aircraft did not lift off in uniform layers. As they illuminated and moved to their first frame of animation, they shifted position and altitude, resulting in collisions with other aircraft and a loss of control. After the collisions, numerous aircraft could be seen falling from the sky and impacting the ground. One aircraft was observed streaking towards the audience.
RPIC Actions and Post-Event Findings
After the loss of control event, the RPIC closely monitored the remaining aircraft through visual observation and telemetry from the ground control station. He determined that, given the steps required to pause the show, recover airborne aircraft, and the designated flight paths, the safest course of action for the audience and aircraft was to let the show proceed. The remaining aircraft completed the show and landed without further incident.
A review of aircraft logs revealed that the show position was rotated by 7°. This misalignment resulted in the geo hard fence being too close to the audience. Additionally, the fence was set to 5 meters rather than the company’s standard of 1 meter. The combined errors resulted in a reduced safety area outside of company standards.
Investigation and Safety Actions
Each sUA contained a secure digital (SD) card recording data. About 42 aircraft were recovered by the operator and their SD cards were sent to the NTSB’s Vehicle Recorder Laboratory in Washington, DC, for analysis. One aircraft was recovered by law enforcement and sent to the NTSB. Five aircraft are believed to have impacted the lake and were not recovered.
The NTSB was notified and initiated an accident investigation, inviting qualified parties including the FAA and Sky Elements LLC. Specialized investigative groups were formed in operations, systems, and flight data recorders.
Since the accident, Sky Elements proposed mitigations to the FAA to prevent recurrence: allowance for additional time on site prior to showtime to reduce time pressures, establishment of an on-call system requiring the chief pilot or a second in command to verify all necessary steps before showtime, and additional training for all RPICs.
The investigation continues.