During an internal test flight

Crash: drone prototype sets roof on fire

Dark smoke was rising from the flat roof of the building. The high temperatures of the fire caused the glass on the PV panels there to shatter.(Bild: Berufsfeuerwehr Klagenfurt)

A Klagenfurt-based company that manufactures specialized drones was testing a new model. However, during a test flight over its own building, during which the photovoltaic system was also to be inspected, it crashed.

A high-quality prototype from a drone manufacturer soared above the company's own building on Monday. The devices from the Klagenfurt-based company specialize in monitoring wind turbines, power lines and photovoltaic systems. "During this test flight, the PV system on the roof of the company was to be inspected, among other things," explained a police officer.

The expensive drone was completely destroyed by the fire. Like when you leave a roast pork in the oven for too long.

Helmut Unterluggauer, Oberbrandrat, Berufsfeuerwehr Klagenfurt

However, during the test flight, a system error occurred in the prototype for reasons that are still unknown. "The drone, which certainly costs several thousand euros, crashed onto the roof," says Helmut Unterluggauer from the Klagenfurt professional fire department, describing the incident. "First the device caught fire, then the plastic foil of the flat roof caught fire. This caused a lot of smoke to develop."

Dark smoke rose from the flat roof of the building. The high temperatures of the fire caused the glass on the PV panels there to shatter.(Bild: Berufsfeuerwehr Klagenfurt)

The fire developed such high temperatures that the glass on 16 photovoltaic panels burst. Lithium-ion batteries are used in the drones. Severe mechanical damage can lead to a chemical chain reaction in which temperatures of up to 800 degrees can be reached.

"This completely destroyed the drone," explains Unterluggauer. "Our emergency services were then able to extinguish the fire quickly, but as a precaution, part of the roof truss was opened to detect a possible glass fire." The areas were examined with a thermal imaging camera - and the all-clear was soon given.