What happened
On 19 March 2025, a Tekever AR3 was conducting a daylight training flight under Visual Line of Sight (VLoS) conditions at Aberporth Airport, Cardiganshire. The aircraft was operating at an altitude of up to 400 ft in favorable weather conditions. After approximately 19 minutes of flight, the unmanned aircraft experienced a sudden downward pitch and a sharp bank. This maneuver resulted in the aircraft striking the ground within the airport perimeter. The impact triggered a small fire involving a lithium battery, though the airport's fire service was able to extinguish the flames quickly.
The investigation
The investigation examined the flight data and the manufacturer's internal review. While the Ground Control System recorded the commands sent to the aircraft and the subsequent demands placed on the flight control servos, the system did not record the actual physical positions achieved by those servos during the incident. The manufacturer's safety department conducted an analysis and determined that a failure of a flight control servo was the most likely cause of the loss of control.
Findings
- The aircraft was engaged in a training operation at the time of the accident.
- The impact caused the total destruction of the Tekever AR3.
- The primary cause of the accident was identified as a mechanical or electrical failure within a flight control servo.