Air Accidents Investigation Branch
October 12
09:02
2023
Summary:
The unmanned aircraft encountered a loss of the communications link due to a fault in the Satcom antenna, such that it was not under the direct control of the remote pilot for a period of several minutes. In accordance with contingency procedures, the aircraft entered a holding pattern and the communications link was subsequently re-established. The remainder of the flight proceeded without incident.
As a result of this serious incident, the operator indicated that future variants of the aircraft will be equipped with a feature that automatically enables Satcom backup when fewer than two communications links are available.