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Aircraft took off and climbed steadily to 50 feet over a duration of 10.6 secondsAt 10.6 seconds of flight time the first propeller broke off causing the system to recognize the error and change the Flight mode to Motor Stop LandingThe system Identified a propulsion system error and started a forced landing at 10.8 seconds of flight timeAt 11.1 seconds of flight time the aircraft had a antenna satellite signal error showing when the aircraft flippedAt 11.5 seconds of flight time the battery cell deviation rose from 0.064V to 0.256V meaning that the aircraft was expending more power to attempt to stabilize the aircraft At 11.9 seconds the aircraft displayed a motor is blocked message indicating the lost RPM in the motor with the broken propellerThe aircraft continued to descent rapidly over the next 2 seconds of flight time until it hit the ground between 13.1 and 13.2 seconds of flight timeThe IMU altitude continued to show the aircraft descending after ground collision showing possible damage to components
DJI Flight Log Analysis
Joseph Salcik- 22 February 2026
Background and Context:
On 4/16/2026 around 1230 the DJI Matrice 300 C crashed at the Purdue Wildlife Area. Personnel present were Anestis Tsagris as PIC and Cameron Perry as VO. A test flight was being conducted to ensure that the aircraft was safe for operation. The M300 was flying well until one take off where the drone rose up to 50 feet and then had one propellor sheer off. This most likely hit other propellors as the drone began to spiral downward rapidly towards the ground and hit it top down. Damaged parts are four out of 8 propellers broken, the sensor mount damaged, and antenna damage.
Root Cause Analysis:
The main cause for the crash would be the propeller that sheered off, causing the drone to become unstable. It was a clear warm day with no wind making it perfect to fly meaning cold weather wouldn't've been a contributing factor to the integrity of the propeller that sheered off first. The propellor most likely broke due to micro factures that couldn’t be seen by UAS Dispatch and Anestis/Cameron during the pre-flight inspection.
In their report they state that the first propeller breaking off most likely collided with others causing the drone to fall rapidly uncontrolled. This is a definite possibility if the propellor was at the right spot in rotation to fly into the other propellers. While this is likely there is a possibility that when the one quarter of the propulsion became unstable the algorithm that the M300 has, to shut off one motor and be able to descend safely when one is damaged, could not work for when a propeller breaks off mid-flight. The drone, therefore, had no stabilization resulting in the uncontrolled spiral down towards the ground and the flipping in mid-air causing the top of the drone to hit the ground first.
The FAA does require a pre-flight inspection from the PIC in § 107.49. This however does not go into great detail on what is required for each type of UAS. The inspection is completed at the PIC’s digression meaning that there is no basis for them to do the inspection. This results in improper inspections that could lea to a large oversight in safety, resulting in a crash/damages.
figure 1. § 107.49. from eCFR
Since this is all the FAA considers to be necessary for a pre-flight there are some large gaps. This part doesn’t say anything about inspecting each component necessary for flight in depth which is the main cause for this incident.
Crash Dynamics:
Sequence of Events:
All of this information was collected from the DJI flight logs:
Post-Crash Response and Consequences:
As a response, other M300s that have propellers with similar flight times should be inspected for micro factures and any damage that could lead to a similar incident. The immediate aftermath of this event was the immediate grounding of all M300s so that they could be inspected.
The required reporting actions would be to fill out the SATT Safety Report as the incident happened on Purdue property and included Purdue students as well as a UAS Crash Report so that any necessary fixes and examinations can be done to ensure other similar incidents do not happen in the future. Ensuring that a thorough pre-flight inspection is conducted beforehand is crucial and should be implemented with those checking out UAS having to inspect the aircraft upon receiving it and going through equipment inspections with Dispatch to identify any possible issues.
Recommendations:
Regulatory changes that show exactly what to look for in propellers that have been used for a while and what a detailed pre-flight inspection entails would be a good idea. The regulation as it stands is too broad and does not provide accurate guidance as to what should be done.
Citations:
14 CFR 107.49 Preflight familiarization, inspection, and actions for aircraft operation. Federal Register :: Request Access. (2021, June 28). https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/chapter-I/subchapter-F/part-107/subpart-B/section-107.49
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