THIS SUPPLEMENT IS BEING WRITTEN TO DOCUMENT THE INCIDENT INVOLVING THE LOSS OF DRONE #24178 FOR UNEXPLAINED REASON.

​

AT 1240HRS, DRONE WAS ELEVATED TO APPROXIMATELY 200’ OVER THE AREA ½ MILE NORTH OF MILE MARKER 333 WITH THE INTENT OF OBTAINING AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS AND A RECORDING AND STARTED TO MOVE SOUTHBOUND TOWARDS THE VEHICLE COLLISION LOCATION. THE WEATHER FOR THE AREA WAS CLOUDY, VERY LIGHT WIND AND SCATTERED SHOWERS (NONE IN MY IMMEDIATE AREA).

​

AT 1250HRS, AS I WAS OPERATING THE DRONE SOUTHBOUND (POSITIONED 200’ ABOVE GROUND, APPROXIMATELY 20’ TO THE EAST OF THE ROADWAY, 1000’ NORTH OF MILE MARKER 333) THERE WAS AN EXTREMELY BRIGHT FLASH OF LIGHT ON THE iPHONE (WHICH IS ATTACHED TO THE DRONE REMOTE AND IS USED AS THE MONITOR AND RECORDING DEVICE FOR THE DRONE). WHEN FLASH WENT AWAY, THE VIDEO RECORDING WAS NOW SHOWING DENSE FOREST AREA BELOW AND NOT THE ROADWAY. I LOOKED UP TO THE AREA WHERE THE DRONE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE AND IT WAS NO LONGER IN SIGHT AND I COULD NOT HEAR IT. I ATTEMPTED TO RECALL THE DRONE AND RECEIVED NO RESPONSE. I THEN ATTEMPTED TO MANUEVER IT IN SEVERAL DIFFERENT WAYS AND BASED ON THE VIDEO, IT APPEARED TO BE REMAINING STATIONARY.

​

AT 1255HRS AS I WAS LOOKING AT THE MONITOR, I SAW WHAT LOOKED LIKE AN ADULT MALE RUN FROM THE BOTTOM RIGHT CORNER OF MY SCREEN TO THE LOWER LEFT CORNER OF MY SCREEN. SUBJECT HAD LONG BLACK HAIR, TAN COLORED SKIN AND APPEARED TO NOT BE WEARING A SHIRT. APPROXIMATELY 10 SECONDS LATER, THE VIDEO RECORDING MOVED AS IF THE DRONE HAD BEEN STRUCK BY SOMETHING AND THEN APPROXIMATELY 10 SECONDS LATER, IT AGAIN APPEARED TO BE STRUCK. EACH TIME THE DRONE WAS ABLE TO REMAIN AIRBORNE.

​

AT 1258HRS, THE DRONE INITIATED LANDING DUE TO THE BATTERY BEING DEPLEATED. AS IT WAS LANDING, IT APPEARED TO FALL THROUGH TREE BRANCHES AND THEN HIT THE GROUND WHERE THE VIDEO FEED STOPPED.

​

I SEARCHED THE IMMEDIATE AREA FOR APPROXIMATELY ONE HOUR IN AN ATTEMPT TO LOCATE THE DRONE AND WAS UNABLE TO FIND IT.

​

WHEN THE SAVED RECORDING WAS REVIEWED, THERE WAS THE INITIAL FOOTAGE OF THE LAUNCH AND ROADWAY AREAS BUT AFTER THE FLASH, IT WAS NOTHING BUT A BLACK COLORED SCREEN WITH NO SOUND. I CONNECTED MY iPHONE TO MY LAPTOP TO SEE IF THE RECORDING WAS ANY DIFFERENT AND IT WAS NOT.

​

CONTACT WAS MADE WITH THE DRONE MANUFACTORER TO SEE IF THEY HAD ANY DOCUMENTED ISSUES SIMILAR TO THIS OR HAD ANY SUGGESTIONS AS TO WHAT MAY HAVE CAUSED THIS INCIDENT AND THEY STATED THEY DID NOT. THEY ALSO STATED THERE WAS NO WAY TO OBTAIN ANY RECORDING OTHER THAN WHAT I HAD.

​

THIS CASE FILED WITH 918 FILES DUE TO INFORMATION CONTAINED IN SUPPLEMENT BEING UNEXPLAINED.