Stranded Crash On Business Building (No permission to access property)

[Zephyr]

On Tuesday, August 30th, I ended up losing signal with a return to home altitude that was too low and caused my drone to crash on a building (160 ft high). I met a security guard who was cool enough to go out of his way to check the roof where he is not allowed to be and has confirmed the drone is on a ledge which is difficult to access (need a ladder etc) but would not provide me with the picture he took to prevent losing his job.

The property management is very rude and unhelpful. They said they have looked all over the roof and did not find it. I was told if I come on property for it I will be trespassed/arrested.

I have not let them know that it has now been confirmed to be on the roof and do not want to jeopardize the guard for helping.

I thought of a few possible options:

A) Try to get them to cooperate and tell them I have GPS location confirming it's on the specific corner of the roof.

B) Photoshop drone into aerial image and tell them I have a photo of it (lol).

C) ???

This property deals directly with local police and provide offices for large clients like Fedex - They will probably get their way with things since I'm a small fish.

I'm looking for any recommendations and/or any rights I have to get my drone back. It's exposed to the weather and probably not feeling too well right now.

Thank you for any input/suggestions you provide!

 

[BigAl07]

Hello

Welcome to the forum and the addiction er hobby

First off I wouldn't try to "Fabricate" the evidence. I would try to talk with them one on one and explain that you made a mistake and you merely would like to get your aircraft off the building. Hopefully they will comply but if they don't you really don't have a lot of options.

Maybe seek a local attorney to get some input on what you need to do next.

Sorry to hear about this.

 

[Multicoptertec]

I would bribe the maintenance folks with a couple dozen donuts.


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[N017RW]

Zephyr, are you in the U.S.?
If so, is it (you) registered?

 

[quid246]

I would enter the establishment (assuming it has some kind of public entrance like a lobby) and ask for the building's engineering department. If the person up front ask why, briefly explain the situation that your aircraft "went out of range" and landed on their roof.

Then when it comes to the head of maintenance, explain the same story in detail and ask "can we look at what it would take to get it back?" and also say "Don't worry, I'll take care of you". So that if he agrees and assists or has a couple guys do it, throw them $20 for a pizza or something. Works every time.

 

[Zephyr]

Not a bad idea Quid, but it's a private employee building which they have made it very clear I cannot come back. They said they would assist helping but would contact me if found and not to come back. I wonder if I can get a hold of the engineering dept. by phone? Originally they said that engineers looked up on roof but did not find it. Maybe they missed it, maybe they didn't look at all.

 

[MapMaker53]

If the management is rude and unhelpful there is nothing you can do without getting the security guard fired. Well, actually there is.. You could offer the guard $100 to go grab it for you and keep upping the amount until he agrees to do so or the amount becomes uneconomical for you. Even if you could prove to them it is there, chances are by now someone on staff has gone up there, retrieved it so it won't fall off the ledge and hurt someone below (they are liable for anything falling off their building), and since they obviously won't want you flying around there will probably say it isn't there. I think you are pretty much out of luck in this case. Such are the risks when flying a drone. These days, most office buildings have cameras in place so low-level staff may not be willing to go into places they are not allowed for fear of being fired.

 

[N017RW]

If the management is rude and unhelpful there is nothing you can do without getting the security guard fired. Well, actually there is.. You could offer the guard $100 to go grab it for you and keep upping the amount until he agrees to do so or the amount becomes uneconomical for you. Even if you could prove to them it is there, chances are by now someone on staff has gone up there, retrieved it so it won't fall off the ledge and hurt someone below (they are liable for anything falling off their building), and since they obviously won't want you flying around there will probably say it isn't there. I think you are pretty much out of luck in this case. Such are the risks when flying a drone.

Yea. Tough Love MM53. You are very candid.

My thoughts extend as to how this occurred.
Was it poor judgement?

It sounds like, at this time, he was in violation of FAA Hobby Guidelines.
That was my reason for inquiring about registration. No answer.

 

[Zephyr]

The drone was there as of 5:00am this morning, it is a fairly hard spot (and high) to access. But it is there! I am afraid of them denying it, but really am anxious to get it back. I know I messed up - but I surely hope there is some sort of remedy here..

 

[Suhail78]

hopefully someone up there didnt just nab it and say they havent seen it :-(

 

[MapMaker53]

Sorry.. just a bit more of reality... If you wind up not getting it back, you might feel better realizing that you probably would have been left with costly repairs after crashing into the side of a building and falling who knows how far onto a hard ledge. Doesn't take much of an impact to completely rip off the camera, crack the GPS antenna, and bust up the hull.

 

[N017RW]

Reality pile-on....
Plus damages to whatever it may have hit on, and on the way to, the ground.

 

[royster]

You say they deal with the police, yes? Find out specifics on dept.address of said police & tell them the whole story, you can tell them a certain person has confirmed drone is up there , maybe without naming names.
I think the police would carry this through, knowing how your bird Is perched, could fall & do more damage to persons/property

 

[GMack]

Last paragraph here: My Drone Landed in Someone's Yard—Is it Theirs Now?

 

[Woodsong]

If you have a fellow drone pilot in your area or if you decide to buy a replacement drone, and provided it is safe to do so, could you fly near where your drone is located and actually take a picture of it's location and give that to the property management or police to attempt to get it back? I am really curious about the law on this issue. If a drone is an aircraft with an FAA registration...well if you were flying a real airplane or helicopter and crashed on the roof I don't think the property owner would have the right to say finders keepers would they? [emoji3] does the relative size of the personal property and aircraft adjust it's legal standing and rights to ownership? At what physical size and weight of an aircraft or personal property do you have the right to access your property?
If being nice and asking nicely of the property manager is not yielding results and I wanted it back despite potential damage to the drone and potential liability I may have for roof damage (tear in roof membrane = leak which can equal interior damage, mold, mechanical equipment failure, etc) then I'd be visiting my local police station asap to talk with them about helping me regain my aircraft. If one replaces the word drone with full size airplane in this situation it seems obvious that you have a right to getting your airplane back. I could be wrong though. [emoji41]


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[quid246]

I would get a fellow pilot to take a picture of the drone on the roof without flying over their property, if possible. With the undeniable evidence they cant say it is not there.

Offer to compensate the company for the time to retrieve it. If there is no cost to them once manpower is taken care of they may be more interested in helping.

Afaik there is no such thing legally as "finders keepers".

 

[InspectorJim]

I see a need for a drone retrieval service.

 

[Monte55]

I see a need for a drone retrieval service.

I see a need for people to not fly in areas that they shouldn't be in in the first place.

 

[InspectorJim]

I see a need for people to not fly in areas that they shouldn't be in in the first place.

I don't recall he was flying in an area his was not suppose 2.

 

[GMack]

Parents managed an apartment building once. People were not allowed on the roof at all unless they laid plywood down from a lift. It had a thin tarpaper coating and leaked if people walked on it and cracked it as it became brittle over the years. The owner let tenants up there when new, but it turned into a party place and women in high heels really poked holes the tarpaper and floods ensued so insurance put restrictions against going up there without adequate protection (i.e. Plywood and a lift.).