A2 CofC Emergency Procedures — Questions and Answers
Question 1: If a drone's battery reaches a critically low level during flight, what should the remote pilot do?
- Continue to the planned landing site regardless of battery level
- Immediately initiate an emergency landing at the nearest safe location (Correct answer)
- Increase altitude to glide further on remaining power
- Switch to a backup battery mid-flight
Correct answer: Immediately initiate an emergency landing at the nearest safe location
When battery reaches a critical level, the pilot must land immediately at the nearest safe location rather than risk a complete power failure. Most drones provide low-battery warnings, and pilots should plan flights to include battery reserves for safe return.
Question 2: What is the recommended immediate action if a drone experiences a fly-away (uncontrolled departure from the intended flight path)?
- Chase the drone on foot to maintain VLOS
- Attempt to activate the return-to-home function, and if unsuccessful, switch off the controller to trigger fail-safe (Correct answer)
- Immediately call 999 to report the incident
- Do nothing and wait for the battery to run out
Correct answer: Attempt to activate the return-to-home function, and if unsuccessful, switch off the controller to trigger fail-safe
In a fly-away situation, the pilot should first attempt to regain control or activate RTH. If the drone is unresponsive, triggering the fail-safe by switching off the controller may cause the drone to auto-land or return to home. The pilot should note last known position and direction of travel.
Question 3: A drone collides with a bird during flight and one propeller is damaged. What should the pilot do?
- Continue the flight on the remaining propellers
- Attempt a controlled emergency landing immediately (Correct answer)
- Increase throttle to compensate for the damaged propeller
- Switch to sport mode for better control
Correct answer: Attempt a controlled emergency landing immediately
With a damaged propeller, the drone's stability and controllability are severely compromised. The pilot should immediately attempt a controlled landing in the safest available area. Continuing flight risks complete loss of control and potential harm to people or property.
Question 4: After a drone incident in the UK that causes injury to a person, within what timeframe should it be reported to the CAA?
- Within 72 hours
- Within 24 hours
- As soon as reasonably practicable (Correct answer)
- Within 28 days
Correct answer: As soon as reasonably practicable
UK regulations require that drone incidents involving injury to persons be reported to the relevant authorities (AAIB for serious incidents, CAA for others) as soon as reasonably practicable. Delays in reporting can hinder investigation and may constitute a regulatory breach.
Question 5: What should a remote pilot do if they notice interference on their controller's display or telemetry during flight?
- Ignore it if the drone appears to be flying normally
- Land the drone as soon as safely possible and investigate the cause of interference (Correct answer)
- Switch to a different frequency band while maintaining flight
- Continue flying but reduce altitude
Correct answer: Land the drone as soon as safely possible and investigate the cause of interference
Electromagnetic interference can affect the control link, GPS accuracy, and telemetry reliability. If interference is detected, the safest action is to land promptly and investigate the source before continuing operations. Interference could precede a complete loss of control link.
Question 6: During a flight, the drone's GPS signal is lost. What is the most appropriate pilot action?
- Continue the flight in ATTI mode if competent, or land immediately if unable to safely control the drone (Correct answer)
- Rely entirely on the drone's compass for navigation
- Increase altitude until GPS is reacquired
- Switch to autonomous waypoint mode
Correct answer: Continue the flight in ATTI mode if competent, or land immediately if unable to safely control the drone
When GPS is lost, the drone typically enters ATTI (attitude) mode where it maintains altitude but not position. An experienced pilot may continue briefly in ATTI mode, but landing as soon as safely possible is recommended since position hold, RTH, and geofencing features will not function.
A2 CofC Emergency Procedures
If a drone's battery reaches a critically low level during flight, what should the remote pilot do?