How to prevent drone accidents?

Even if you are not a beginner pilot, you can always crash your drone. You can prevent this, if you know and understand the most common causes of drone piloting.

What worries most pilots is a loss of control of their drone and a subsequent crash. In most cases, the consequences are either loss of the unmanned aircraft or claims, if property is damaged or rules have been violated. During flights, one of the most common causes of drone accidents is the pilot's inexperience. It is clear that practice, patience and time are needed to deal with this problem. Other than that, you may take several measures to prevent other accidental situations.

In other cases, drone accidents are due to either improper maintenance, inadequate flight planning or insufficient area research. In this material, we will look at the common causes of a drone crash and what you can do to prevent them.

Why drones crash?

The list we have compiled covers a large part of why you may happen to lose control of your device. Even if you are an experienced pilot, it is good to read more about these possible situations. This can one day save you from a crash, damage or even more severe consequences.

Poor maintenance

Maintenance is essential for your drone and if you take the necessary care, you can really save yourself from unwanted situations. Create a schedule for regular drone maintenance and don't miss it. Also, be sure to check the condition of the device before each flight.

Pay special attention to the propellers. If they are loose or damaged, this can lead to an accident. And since the replacement of the propellers is not expensive and in the event of an accident the damage may be great, it is not worth missing this step from your maintenance plan. We advise you to get spare propellers when buying the drone so that they are always at your disposal.

Before and after each flight, check the body of the drone for cracks and structural defects. Make sure all power wires are working, and there are no interruptions. Last but not least, always start a flight with a full battery charge and check the stability of the connection with the controller. If you pilot relatively often, the drone must be checked for faults by a professional technician every six months.

Poor orientation

Piloting a drone does not seem difficult, but pilots find it difficult to perform some manoeuvres. This requires more experience and a better sense of the controller. When performing such manoeuvres, the danger is that more inexperienced pilots may have problems with orientation.

If you are not sure how well you can control your drone, we advise you to start by piloting in open spaces where there are no obstacles. Also, take advantage of obstacle avoidance sensors, which can help you avoid a collision. Study the sensors on your drone as well.

Flights indoors

One of the most common causes of drone accidents is flying indoors. This happens mainly to novice pilots, who are still learning and can't wait to try their drone. However, in such cases, you should know that the device most likely will not have access to the GPS signal. Therefore, we advise you to fly only in open spaces.

Braking distance

By gaining experience, most pilots become too immersed while flying. The feeling that they control the device makes them reduce the necessary braking distance by increasing the speed and stopping significantly later. This is one of the most common causes of accidents of inexperienced drone pilots. Remember that the distance that is necessary for the drone to stop depends mainly on the speed.

Also, the braking distance depends on the presence of wind. If you are flying with the wind, you will need more stopping distance. To avoid accidents, do not fly at high speed in areas where there are people or power lines.

Ignoring warning messages from the device

Modern drones have advanced technology that helps them avoid many incidents. Such features are "Obstacle avoidance" and "Return to home". In many cases, even experienced pilots do not take into account the drone warning signals.

Do not ignore the signals. It is no coincidence that they appear to indicate the existence of a problem. Please note if you receive a warning signal for battery life, problems with the controller connection and a weak GPS signal. In such cases, be sure to get the drone back immediately to avoid accidents.

Flying during bad weather

If you take a flight at the wrong time, the drone may be damaged. If there is a strong wind, you will likely lose control of the device and cause damage.

In addition to the wind, the rain can also damage your drone. Winter conditions with low temperatures are also not recommended. When piloting in unstable conditions, always control your drone with caution. Do not fly if forecasts are bad.

These are some of the main causes of drone accidents. To avoid them, follow all safety rules, pilot responsibly, and with attention to the signals, you receive from the unmanned aircraft.

For more useful articles related to piloting, storing and maintaining drones, follow our blog. Contact us if you need a consultation.