What happened
On 31 May 2023, a Sensefly eBee X unmanned aircraft system, registered as ZT-XHA, was performing an aerial survey at the Seriti Klipspruit Mine near Ogies, Mpumalanga. The operation was being conducted under Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) regulations for the purpose of aerial surveying.
During the fifth line of the survey mission, the aircraft encountered crosswind conditions. The pilot observed the drone entering an inverted attitude, followed by an uncontrolled spiral toward the ground. In an attempt to recover the aircraft, the pilot activated the 'fast climb' function on the remote pilot station. During this maneuver, a 'data downlink' warning appeared on the controller. The aircraft subsequently stalled and descended rapidly, impacting the ground. The impact resulted in the destruction of the aircraft, with the wings detaching from the fuselage. There were no injuries reported on the ground.
The investigation
The investigation reviewed the pilot's credentials, confirming a valid Remote Pilot Licence with a BVLOS rating and a current medical certificate. The aircraft's regulatory status was also examined, noting that the UAS held a valid Letter of Approval and a Certificate of Registration.
Records indicated that a mandatory periodic inspection (MPI) had been performed on the aircraft just 4.5 minutes prior to the accident. The investigation also noted that no flight logs were available for the specific flight in question.