Interagency Aviation Accident Prevention Bulletin 22-03 Defective Matrice 600 Flight Batteries

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Overview

The Interagency Aviation Accident Prevention Bulletin 22-03 Defective Matrice 600 Flight Batteries () is a public-domain DOI Office of Aviation Services aviation safety document, republished here as a free chaptered HTML edition with a linked table of contents and the official PDF.

Publisher: DOI Office of Aviation Services
Document
Pages: 1

Key points

The Matrice 600 fleet may have defective flight battery sets that need to be removed from service due to recent mishaps.
Battery life checks should be performed according to the Matrice 600 User Manual, and batteries not charging or discharging properly should be discarded.
All six batteries must be 100% charged before launch, and continuous monitoring during flight is required to ensure they discharge within a +/- 10% threshold rate.
The battery icon must be displayed during flight, and if a battery shows a voltage difference too large, the battery set will be removed from service.
Recent incidents have highlighted the risk of insufficient power leading to uncontrollable rapid descent into terrain.

Frequently asked questions

What should I do if my Matrice 600 batteries are not charging properly?

You should discard any batteries that are not charging or discharging at an acceptable rate as per the battery life check guidelines.

How can I ensure my batteries are ready for flight?

All six batteries should be 100% charged before launch, and you should perform a battery percentage check as part of the preflight checklist.

What happens if one battery has a significantly higher charge than the others during flight?

If one battery is holding more than 10% remaining above the others, the system will only utilize 5 of the 6 batteries, and the UAS needs to return to home for assessment.

What should I do if the flight log indicates a battery voltage difference issue?

If the flight log records 'Battery Voltage Difference too large. Check Battery Status,' the battery set will be removed from service.

Who can I contact for more information regarding the Matrice 600 battery issues?

You can contact Dirk Giles, USFS UAS Program Manager at 208-921-7492 or Steve Ramaekers, OAS UAS Fleet Manager at 208-473-8708.

Document

OAS-43A (12/12)

Interagency Aviation

Accident Prevention Bulletin

No. IA APB 22-03 June 1 7 , 2022 Page 1 of 1 Subject: Defective Matrice 600 Flight Batteries Area of Concern: Uncrewed Aircraft Systems Operations (UAS) Distribution: All UAS Operators Discussion: The Matrice 600 is coming into its fifth year of service. Based on recent mishaps, it is quite probable the DOI and Forest Service M600 fleet may have unknown defective flight battery sets that need to be removed from service. Three related SAFECOMs have been published in the last month, two were mishaps resulting in complete loss of Matrice 600 and Zenmuse XT2. In the third incident, the failure was observed, and corrective action taken before a mishap occurred. As battery sets come to the end of life as described in SAFECOM #22-0234 , or are identified as defective ( SAFECOM #22-0240 and SAFECOM #22-0232 ), if they remain in service, they may have insufficient power to maintain flight which would result in an uncontrollable rapid descent into terrain.

Key Points to ensure a safe flight: • Perform battery life check per Matrice 600 User Manual, page 11, “Checking the Battery Life.” o Discard batteries that are not charging or discharging at an acceptable rate.

• Perform battery percentage check o This step shall be added to the preflight check list and provided to carded pilots to ensure all batteries are charged +/- 2% of each other. All six batteries should be 100% charged before launch.

o Pilots shall ensure continuous monitoring during flight to assure batteries are discharging at an acceptable +/- 10% threshold rate.

• Standard UAS operations now requires the battery icon be displayed for all Matrice 600. During flight, when one battery is holding more than 10% remaining above the others, the system is only utilizing 5 of the 6 and can’t maintain flight. The UAS needs to return to home to be assessed. The flight log will record the diagnostics, if “Battery Voltage Difference too large. Check Battery Status” is logged the battery set will be removed from service.

For additional information contact Dirk Giles, USFS UAS Program Manager at 208-921-7492 or Steve Ramaekers, OAS UAS Fleet Manager at 208-473-8708.

/s/ John Mills /s/ Lori Clark John Mills Lori Clark Acting Chief, Aviation Safety, Program Branch Chief - Aviation Safety Management Evaluation, and Quality Management Systems DOI, Office of Aviation Services USDA, Forest Service