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1. Background and Context (15%)a. Summarize the basic facts: date, location, parties involved, and nature of the crash.Anestis Tsagris (PIC) , Cameron Perry (VO) , 4/16/2025 @ 12:30 PMb. Describe the system, vehicle, or software involved.DJI M300, to decrypt the data, DJI Flight Log Viewer was used 2. Root Cause Analysis (30%)a. Investigate and identify the primary and contributing causes.Main cause seems to be mechanical failure of the propellers, contributing cause could be PIC error of not doing a detailed enough pre flight check of the aircraft. b. Discuss mechanical failures, human errors, design flaws, environmental factors, or regulatory (FAA, Purdue, Dispatch, etc.) oversights.The main mechanical failure was from the propeller as stated above. if the propeller had any crack or fracture, that could have caused the aircraft to be at risk before flight. Human erros could include not having enough of a detailed pre flight checklist, the description states that he ensured the props were secured, but didn’t describe the health of the props itself. Environment factors could include if it was windy out, causing the aircraft to work harder to maintain flight in a stable manner. 3. Crash Dynamics (25%)a. Explain the sequence of events during the crash, including forces, motions, and any failure mechanisms.Pre-flight: During preflight, the propellers were checked for being installed and “secure,” but it doesn’t specify that they were operational, like checking for fractures or cracks etc. Takeoff: On takeoff and climb, the propellers experienced centrifugal force. If a prop had a defect, the centrifugal force can damage until the blade can’t hold together.Primary failure: One propeller sheared off in flight. Secondary damage: The separated piece made contact with other propellers. That can chip, crack, or deform other blades, creating additional imbalance and further reducing thrust across multiple rotors.Loss of stability: losing of the the 4 propellers would immediately cause the aircraft to become unstable, and harder to control and land in a safe manner. On a heavier aircraft like the M300, losing one of the propellers will cause a tremendous loss of thrust. Giving the available options for a emergency landing much more difficult. Descent and impact: As thrust dropped, the aircraft entered a rapid descent. The final crash involved impact forces from the aircraft’s kinetic energy at impact, causing structural damage to other propellers, sensor mount, antenna, and possible structural damage.b. Support your analysis with calculations, graphs, diagrams, or a crash reconstruction in 3D space.
4. Post-Crash Response and Consequences (10%)a. Summarize the response and immediate aftermath.Right after the crash, the first priority is safety. Looking at the lecture slides, the team must check the location of the UAS and make sure no people or property are in danger. Hazards like LiPo battery fires or spinning propellers must be handled immediately. Photos should be taken to document everything, and 911 should be called if needed. The batteries should be removed and contained safely. After that, the aircraft is recovered and inspected. All broken pieces should be collected, and flight logs should be retrieved if possible. This helps preserve evidence and understand what caused the crash.b. Identify the required reporting requirements.Crashes must be reported to several groups:Purdue DispatchPurdue SafetyFAA only if certain conditions are metThe FAA requires a report within 10 days if there is serious injury, loss of consciousness, or more than $500 in damage to property, excluding the drone.NASA ASRSNTSB only for specific eventsThe NTSB requires reporting for major issues like a flight control failure, like a fly away, inflight fire, aircraft collision, release of a propeller blade, or over $25,000 in damage to objects other than the aircraft. Serious injury includes things like hospitalization over 48 hours, broken bones, severe bleeding, internal organ damage, or major burns.c. Discuss impacts, actions, and potential policy changes resulting from the event.After the crash, there could be a handful of impacts and potential follow up actions. The insurance company should be contacted immediately which it was in this scenario. Insurance will do their standard process, needing photos, flight logs, and reports. Since this accident was pretty severe for the drone, we had to send it back to DJI to get repairs, according to the maintenance coda page. After this incident, I believe all of the M300 drones in our fleet were grounded to ensure there wasn’t an issue across all of the drones. Aircraft parts will be inspected to find the root cause, as well as the PIC and VO could be talked with to see if they missed any steps that lead to the incident. Policy changes could include stricter pre-flight inspections, more thorough inspections before the UAS is taken out for flight. The goal should always be to prevent the same incident from happening again. 5. Recommendations (15%)a. Propose design, operational, or regulatory (FAA, Purdue, Dispatch, etc.) changes that could have prevented the crash.The drone manufacturer could improve propeller design to make them stronger and more resistant to cracking or wear. More extensive pre flight inspections should be required, especially checking propellers for cracks, chips, or scratches. The lecture slides mention checking props and motors during flight review, this should be mandated before every flight more heavily in my opinion. Also, after first takeoff, pilots could perform a low altitude systems check that consists of basic maneuvers to ensure everything is working properly. This would also ensure that if a system does fail, and the drone has to do a emergency landing, it is much closer to the ground to reduce kinetic energy and damages. Purdue or Dispatch could require mandatory documentation of propeller inspections before flight. There could also be a required “stand down” inspection for all aircraft of the same type after a similar failure . The FAA could reinforce reporting and maintenance tracking requirements to make sure worn parts are replaced on time. Dispatch could put more emphasis on documentation of the major components required for flight, like motors and propellers. The FAA could start to regulate reporting maintenance records to make sure that drones are staying up to date on their maintenance. b. Support your recommendations with evidence and logical reasoning.The slides explain that prop damage are serious safety concerns. The NTSB states that its required when part of a prop blade separates in flight. If more concise inspections had been done before takeoff, damage to the prop could have been found and the crash could have been avoided. Improving documentation and tracking maintenance would reduce the risk of flying with worn or unsafe part. 6. Report Structure and Quality (5%)a. Your report must be clear, concise, professional, and well-organized.b. Include references in a recognized citation style (APA, IEEE, etc.).Rose, N. (2026). AT 21900 – Crash Analysis [PowerPoint slides]. Purdue University School of Aviation and Transportation Technology
DJI Flight Log Analysis
Nathan Tyler Rose
Overview
You will conduct a detailed analysis of a real-world UAS crash event to demonstrate your ability to apply analytical techniques, interpret evidence, and recommend improvements based on flight data, recovered aircraft, safety reports, and lessons learned.
You will analyze the crash of a Purdue UAS fleet aircraft, DJI M300 C. The data resources are linked below.
Data Resources
Safety Report
Flight Records
Report Instructions
Contents
Figure 1: Ishikawa Diagram of M300 Incident
Figure 2: 3D Representation of M300 Flight
Loading video: M300C_041625.mp4...
Figure 3: Video of GPS from the M300 incident
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