Every year we review the most frequent claims that we have settled at Coverdrone. We are proud to state that we settled 98.2% of claims last year in 2021. Many drone operators should find this a useful source of information to be aware of some of the most common risks with drone operations.
At Coverdrone we take great pride in our claims service, our team are fully dedicated to resolving your claim as soon as possible. We recognise just how important it is for you to be back up and running with your drone!
When entering a new year, we like to reflect upon the previous (2021) and take an insight into the claims received, how it may occur and suggest useful tips and tricks how to avoid the unthinkable happening!
In comparison to our 2020 Claims insight review, there have been improvements for our number one cause of claims; Pilot Error. In 2020 Pilot Error made up 49% of our claims, however, in 2021 it has decreased down to 33%. The introduction of A2CofC and drone pilots educating themselves about drone rules and regulations could be a possibility as to what has contributed to the decrease in statistics.
Mechanical Failure for the cause of claim has moved down from number 4 (2020) to number 6 in our most frequent claims in the year of 2021. This could be due to the products being more reliable.
Accidental Loss has also moved up the list of our most frequent claims in the year of 2021 from 2020, moving from number 10 to 5. This may be due to people being less conscious of ensuring they have gathered all of their kit together at the end of a flight, or, leaving it on transport (on a bus, taxi, tram) for example. Furthermore, Fly Away claims have also risen to number 4 from 6 in 2020.
Coverdrone’s most frequent claims of 2021:
- Pilot Error
- Accidental Damage
- Loss of Data Link
- Fly Away
- Accidental Loss
- Mechanical Failure
- Bird Strike
- Loss of Power
- Weather
- Theft from a Vehicle
Please note that the list above only gives an indication of the types of claims that we receive. Below are a handful of examples extracted from the list to explain why these situations arise:
Pilot error
There are numerous reasons why pilot error can occur. This can, however, be preventable If the drone pilot themselves are aware of the risks when flying their drone. Factors such as fatigue, poor communication, distraction, and lack of teamwork can heighten the chances of pilot error occurring. Be sure that you are familiar with the equipment that you are flying, be compliant with the relevant laws and guidelines (if you are in the UK and Europe check out our blog about EC785/2004) and educate yourself about the different features and flight modes the drone has. Knowledge of this can in turn may potentially save you from an unfortunate incident occurring.
Accidental damage
Understandably, from time-to-time accidents happen. Our insurance policy is there for you to provide complete peace of mind when accidents do occur. We recently settled a claim involving a client flying their drone along a beach and unfortunately it clipped fence railing nearby. This was settled under the accidental damage category.
Loss of data link
Loss of data link can be caused by your drone loosing GPS signal. Coverdrone Claims Manager, Mel Heath, shares an example of this type of claim that we settled in 2021. She said: “At around 300m of distance the pilot was about to return home when the signal, connection and control of drone was lost. The pilot had initiated the fail-safe procedure of RTH (return to home), but got no response. After losing connection visual sight was lost and the drone was unlocated.” At number 3 it highlights the importance of always ensuring you have a firm link between drone and controller.
Flyaway's
Unfortunately, drone flyaway’s do happen to some drone pilots. Flyaway’s can be caused by several factors including: flying beyond your visual line of sight, compass interference and not setting a designated home point or updating it when necessary (for example). Check out our blog which advises you with the best ways how to prevent drone flyaways.
How can I make a claim?
Simply fill in the appropriate online claims form for your drone insurance policy (whether that be commercial or recreational). The great thing about our online claims forms is that they are available 24/7. The sooner you fill in the form following your incident, the better! We aim to turn your claim around within 48 hours, for our team to deal with your claim efficiently with a speedy resolution we advise you to provide all the additional information where you further detail what happened to your equipment. Remember, providing as much information as you can is extremely beneficial to our claims team.
To provide you with more clarity, the following documents are expected to be provided in order to support your claim:
Information required from commercial drone operators:
- Pre-flight & on-site survey
- Photos or videos of the incident
- Copy of your ‘ops’ manual
- Copy of permission for aerial work from the relevant aviation authority
- Proof of purchase/ownership
- Flight data
- Operator ID
Information required from recreational drone operators:
- Proof of purchase/ownership
- Photos or videos of the incident
- Flight data
- Operator ID
- Flyer ID
Find out more about our specialist in house claims team
All of our claims are managed in house at Coverdrone, we do not operate a call centre, so you will always be speaking with a member of our dedicated claims team! If you would like to find out more about our claims department in depth, take a look at our ‘Get To Know: Coverdrone Claims Department 2021’ blog post!
Remember, fly safe, we have got you covered at Coverdrone! Check out our flexible commercial and recreational drone policies today!