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

Lawyer up if you want your Drone Back , no way would it cause anything by cosmetic damage to Cement , you should harp on the fact that they were endangering people below because of their lack of concern that it could of dropped from the roof , its what you were concerned with in the first place , I would make sure that issue was at the forefront . You might also consider what kind of damage it has now , that wasn't caused by the crash !
 
I guess I am having a difficult time understanding what the difference is between personal property.

An SUAS or a purse/wallet.

Would/could the owner hold either KNOWING who the rightful owners are?


Been thinkn that since I started following this thread.....personal property is personal property.

Would an individual have this much trouble getting a backpack/wallet/purse returned if lost there?

They clearly know the rightful owner.

Seems there's 2 ways to go at this point:

1) Forget it and move on.

2) Civil proceedings for return.
I guess the first thing is to prove it is yours...but that also means that you are most likely the the pilot and responsible for any damages. When you fly you have to take responsibility. Otherwise take your chances and accept the consequences of your actions. I see people taking great risks for that special shot or video. Unless it will put money in your pocket.....why bother. Unless you want to watch it over and over and think how cool you were as a new day started and no one really cares. We will have no shortage of people doing things they are not supposed to do. You will be lost in the mess and nobody cares except the ones that will sue you for damages.
 
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Does the Drone have your FAA # on it , that's proof of ownership . Not to mention serial #'s if you recorded them or have the original Box .
 
Have you made SURE that the people you are dealing with actually OWN the building? In many - even most - cases of commercial buildings, the tenants do not even own the place. Here is what you know: Your drone parked itself on the building; you own it; the tenants know you own it; it did NOT do any damage whatsoever to the building (gimme a break!); the tenants are a***...ummm... difficult people. As pointed out above, what if this was your briefcase or your coat or your car in their parking lot - they OWN these now? I don't think so.
 
You might try to convince them that since they know the bird is on a corner of their building and won't allow you or them to retrieve it safely, and that if it should fall and cause somebody an injury, they may be partially or fully liable for such injuries.

Hope that helps

Bud


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!
 
Agreed. If the OP could find out for CERTAIN if the guard was indeed fired, AND fired because of this incident, I think we should take up a collection for him or her. Something - a trip to the grocery store - is better than nothing. Don't have much to contribute here, but I'll put in 20. Just an idea, that's all.

@Zephyr, please do some good fact-finding on this security person, along with, do the tenants really own the building (see how to do that above - post #28 - if need be). So far, it seems all we may really know is that they appear be about the same caliber as pond scum.
 
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If a phantom crashing onto the building,at any speed,has made "finger holes" in the concrete then that concretes structural integrity is seriously compromised and has been since the buildings construction.
The building should be evacuated immediately,condemned and demolished before it collapses under it's own weight.

Notify the city council so their structural engineers can inspect and assess the building with a view to condemning it in the interest of public safety.
 
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UPDATE 09/12/2016: Security Guard Fired (Review of Camera) - Drone Found!

Called local Sheriff office who went and helped 'mediate' this situation. Long story short, they stated they had to pay $500 for the retrieval but said they would cover that.

They are now holding my Drone because they state that it caused 4 "finger holes" into the cement on the top of the building. The drone was landed upside down and they are saying the 4 caps on propellers caused the damage.

I'm wondering if they even have legal right to keep the drone as colladeral and/or if I have any right to receive it back and deal with damages later. I find it hard to believe there is any significant indentures caused by the propeller cap but I certainly don't know.

Hopefully I will get it back here soon, and will continue to keep you updated!

Thanks.

Your own screw up cost a man his job? That's awesome, bro.

And you stated very early on that you were warned to stay away and never return to this building. I know of only one way to get myself blackballed from an entire property, and that's by being an obnoxious moron and making a scene.
 
You may just have to chalk it up as a loss. Perils of the hobby. I lost both a phantom, an x350 racing quad and a X5c toy grade quad. I simply replaced Them all and marched on. I just try to be as careful as possible whenever and where ever I fly..


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What state did this occur in?

For example in California it's illegal to misappropriate lost property. If they are in possession of your lost property, you can press charges.


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And that is completely separate from being a civil matter.


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What state did this occur in?

For example in California it's illegal to misappropriate lost property. If they are in possession of your lost property, you can press charges.


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That's not accurate at all. The property has no obligation to let you climb up onto a 160ft ledge of the building they lease / own /operate. They are liable. Moreover, they do not have to spend labor on doing so. If their in house team deems it safe, then it's safe. Everyone keeps pointing out how " it's unsafe ", " they should be in trouble ".... well guys, obviously it wasn't unsafe, or else the **** thing would have fallen.

Some of the things many of you say is what causes me to lurke, and not post. However, many of you just get completely out of hand, like you steve. No property owner is under any obligation to return properly if it is in an unsafe location, such as a tall tree, nor do they have to let you do it. They can easily, even in cali deny you that right. If your ball lands in my yard, I'll give it back, I actually do have to give it back, but once you bring in 160ft ledges, things change.
 
That's not accurate at all. The property has no obligation to let you climb up onto a 160ft ledge of the building they lease / own /operate. They are liable. Moreover, they do not have to spend labor on doing so. If their in house team deems it safe, then it's safe. Everyone keeps pointing out how " it's unsafe ", " they should be in trouble ".... well guys, obviously it wasn't unsafe, or else the **** thing would have fallen.

Some of the things many of you say is what causes me to lurke, and not post. However, many of you just get completely out of hand, like you steve. No property owner is under any obligation to return properly if it is in an unsafe location, such as a tall tree, nor do they have to let you do it. They can easily, even in cali deny you that right. If your ball lands in my yard, I'll give it back, I actually do have to give it back, but once you bring in 160ft ledges, things change.

Read the OPs post (#30)

It's no longer in an unsafe location. It has since been recovered, but parties involved refuse to hand over the lost property.


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I have to say tho... Very upset at the security guard who lost he's job, did Z actually grass him up to just get the drone back? Personally I would happily call it a loss. You do t screw up a person's future for your own stupidity and selfish needs. If anything he needs to return the favour and get this guard he's job back. He probably has a family, can't pay bills and may be evicted. At the very least he should sell he's drone and give the money to the security guard

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I have to say tho... Very upset at the security guard who lost he's job, did Z actually grass him up to just get the drone back? Personally I would happily call it a loss. You do t screw up a person's future for your own stupidity and selfish needs. If anything he needs to return the favour and get this guard he's job back. He probably has a family, can't pay bills and may be evicted. At the very least he should sell he's drone and give the money to the security guard

Sent from my Power using PhantomPilots mobile app


Or the guard has already found a better job, found a wonderful new woman and is thanking his lucky stars daily he got out of that oppressive horrible job.
 
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The OP has yet to answer simple questions of where this is or if he is registered. If in the U.S., flying in a location where such an event can occur shows lack of respect for the hobby guidelines and is a threat to all flyers.
We don't need GPS coordinates or the reg. #.
Like 50% of stuff on the 'web' I'm not even sure this is a real occurrence.
 

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