Emergency Procedures
This section provides checklists and procedures for coping with emergencies that may arise during sUAS operations. Malfunctions are rare, especially if proper pre-flight inspections and maintenance are practiced. Weather emergencies may be minimized by careful flight planning and sound judgment; however, sUAS pilots should be ready to respond to rapidly changing weather conditions. Should an emergency arise, the guidelines in this section should be considered and applied as necessary to correct problems.
Loss of Radio Link
In case of interference or other communications issues, the GCS will alert with a lost connection annunciation. The following procedures should be followed if no RTL is observed.
If the sUAS loses signal from the radio link, the aircraft will go into RTL mode. In this mode, the following procedures should be followed.
Actions to be Performed
Pilot
Visual Observer
Declare an emergency and inform VO/crew
Maintain a safe Area to land
Try to determine the cause of sUAS status.
Change the Aircraft’s Flight Mode to Position Mode and try to regain control
If control is not restored, activate the Aircraft’s Return to Launch (RTL).
Continuously check whether the mode is functional and/or if the control of the aircraft can be regained
Prepare for the RTL maintain Visual contact
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