OSB Number: SOSB-24-V19
Date: 05/23/2025
Summary: Skydio has identified an issue that, in extremely rare cases (approximately 1 in 55,600 flights), may cause the Skydio X10 and X10D onboard flight control system to become unresponsive. This results in unrecoverable motor power loss and crash, which may result in serious bodily injury and/or damage.
Products affected: Skydio X10 and Skydio X10D
Description, Identification, and Manifestation
In extremely rare circumstances and under normal operating conditions, the Skydio X10 and X10D onboard flight control system can stop processing data in flight, resulting in an unrecoverable loss of power to the motors. The root cause is still under investigation. Enhanced logging, introduced in the next software release, will provide additional data logging to support the ongoing investigation.
Pilots may observe the flight control system become unresponsive during flight when the vehicle motors stop producing thrust and the X10 Controller simultaneously loses connection to the vehicle but remains powered on. There are currently no known precursor indications available to pilots to detect or mitigate this issue before it occurs.
Skydio is aggressively working on mitigation efforts.
Mitigation and Resolution
Skydio Actions
Skydio takes flight safety very seriously. We are aggressively working to identify the root cause of this behavior with the following actions:
- We have developed telemetry-based monitors for online systems to detect any future incidents.
- We are adding additional flight control system logging to help us identify the specific events that trigger this failure.
- Once a root cause is identified, a software fix will be made available.
- Skydio will replace any vehicles damaged as a result of this issue.
Operator Actions
All aviation operations have some risk. While the occurrence of this fault is extremely rare, it is always best practice to assess your operating parameters and adhere to the following guidelines to minimize risk:
- Follow provisions in specific FAA approvals and general guidelines (see Chapter 8 of FAA AC 107-2A) to minimize flight time directly over high-risk areas.
- When performing overwatch or hover missions, position the vehicle over a safe landing zone whenever possible.
- Ensure you have configured the proper settings for contingency behaviors, such as Lost Connection Return Behaviors
- Continue following Skydio’s recommended best practices for battery storage and maintenance to ensure optimal performance.
- Continuously review Skydio’s Safety and Operating Guide and Skydio X10 Operator Manual.
Please contact Skydio Support to initiate a return for the drone if this behavior is observed.