What happened
On 5 March 2020, at approximately 22:20 UTC, a DJI Matrice M210 V2 was being operated for emergency services purposes near Mill Lane, Ludlow. The flight was taking place on a clear, dry night. The pilot was operating the unmanned aircraft system (UAS) using a first-person view (FPV) interface, and the aircraft was maintained within visual line of sight, though it had reached an extended range of roughly 590 metres from the operator.
During the flight, the pilot applied a right roll input while the aircraft was moving sideways. During this manoeuvre, the drone struck a tree. The impact resulted in damage to the motor arms, propellers, batteries, the gimbal bracket, and the onboard cameras.
The investigation
Investigators analysed flight data to reconstruct the sequence of events leading to the impact. The examination focused on the aircraft's flight path and the functionality of its onboard sensors. The investigation established that the aircraft was in a sideways flight configuration at the moment of collision.
Furthermore, the investigation reviewed the capabilities of the DJI Matrice M210 V2 obstacle avoidance technology. It was determined that the system's sensors are designed to identify objects approaching from the front of the aircraft, meaning the system was not configured to detect obstacles encountered during lateral movement.