Emergency Procedures
Preflight Planning for Emergencies
Emergencies in sUA operations are usually battery, link, GPS, or environmental. Before flight, know your lost-link behavior (return-to-home, hover, or land), your battery reserve, and your emergency landing area. Brief the crew on who calls out problems and who takes control actions.
Common Emergencies
Battery failure or low voltage: land immediately at the nearest safe spot; do not stretch the flight. Loss of control link: the aircraft should execute its programmed failsafe; monitor and be ready to regain control. Loss of GPS: the aircraft may switch to attitude mode and drift with wind - be ready to fly manually. Compass or IMU errors: land and recalibrate away from metal and magnetic interference. Fly-away: execute the manufacturer's lost-aircraft procedure and notify ATC if in controlled airspace. Mid-air conflict with manned aircraft: give way, descend if safe, and report.
Regulatory and Reporting Duties
As PIC, you are responsible for the safe conduct of the flight. Report accidents to the FAA within 10 calendar days if there is serious injury, loss of consciousness, or property damage (other than to the sUA) of $500 or more. Report to ATC immediately if the sUA creates a hazard or interferes with manned aircraft.
Traps
Questions test whether you must land immediately on a low-battery warning (yes) versus continue to complete a mission (no), and whether a fly-away must be reported (yes, especially if it enters controlled airspace). Another trap: the 10-day accident reporting window and the $500 threshold.
Rule of Thumb
"Land first, diagnose second." If the aircraft is over people or property and something fails, prioritize getting it to an unpopulated area before troubleshooting.