UAV - Unpiloted Aerial Vehicle
Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Flight Instructor
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 200; Flight Crew Total 8000; Flight Crew Type 1
Training / Qualification
Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Inflight Event / Encounter Loss Of Aircraft Control
General None Reported / Taken
Aircraft; Procedure; Equipment / Tooling
I have been made aware of an incident concerning a drone that my company owns.  An inexperienced drone operator attempted to launch with multiple sensor errors. A takeoff was successful; however; the drone initiated an uncontrollable climb and no corrective action was taken. The drone continued to climb out of sight and was not seen again. The last reported altitude from the drone was 6332 AGL.  The telemetry last reported by the drone was directly overhead. As contact between the controlling laptop and drone was lost; that is the last information available. The information I have given is compiled from interviewing the operators and inspection of the laptop computer that was used to control the vehicle. It is my assumption that the drone continued to climb until a critical battery level was reached. Upon this happening it would have initiated a 'return to land' function at its point of departure. I would assume that the battery level would not have allowed it enough energy to return home and it has crashed somewhere downwind.
Person affiliated with a company which operates UAVs reported that an inexperienced operator lost control of a UAV which apparently crashed in an unknown location.