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AAIB Alauda Airspeeder Mk II, loss of control and eventual crash (2021)
- detaro 5y agoTitle shortened from "AAIB Report: Alauda Airspeeder Mk II, loss of control resulting in a fly-away and eventual crash" to fit HN length limit. > The AAIB found that the Airspeeder Mk II was not designed, built or tested to any recognisable engineering or airworthiness standards, and that its design and build quality were poor. The report (PDF) goes into more detail, and shows the contrast between expected standard and used building methods, which feel taken from much smaller hobby designs: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/602bb22f8fa8f50388f9f000/Alauda_Airspeeder_Mk_II_UAS_reg_na_03-21.pdf https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/602bb22f8fa8f...
- azalemeth 5y agoWow. It's amazing that they managed to take a few Arduinos and hobbyist boards, build a 100 kg drone that flew into class A airspace, could easily have destroyed a family home and its occupants, planned effectively an air display with an experimental aircraft never before seen in Europe with no telemetry, no transponder, and dodgy radio, and not even get a visit from the CAA. I'm not surprised most of the 15 recommendations are aimed at them. This sort of thing should not happen. The photos show loose wires basically on breadboards, not at all vibration proof or indeed capable of surviving inverted flight. Frankly, I half expected this to end with a visit from quick reaction jets.