UAV evidence practice
Drone and UAV Forensics for National Civil and Criminal Matters
Forensic acquisition and analysis of drone flight logs, controller records, mobile-app data and onboard media for personal-injury, aviation, criminal-defense, insurance and enterprise matters.
The engagement
A drone leaves records in four places at once
A single drone flight leaves records on the aircraft, on the remote controller, on the pilot's mobile device running the flight app and, for tethered fleets, on the manufacturer's cloud service. Each source records overlapping but non-identical fields. Depending on model and configuration, the aircraft may hold a detailed flight log, the mobile app may write secondary logs or cached telemetry, the controller may retain control-input records, and the cloud may retain flight summaries or media.
The examination preserves each source with hash-verified imaging where the tool set supports it and reconciles the records on one normalized timeline. For DJI aircraft, primary sources include the FLYxxx DAT logs on the internal storage of many airframes, the DAT and TXT logs written by the flight app and the encrypted flight-record fragments the mobile app may hold. For third-party manufacturers, coverage extends to Autel, Parrot, Skydio and supported enterprise fleets. Media on onboard SD cards is preserved and container-authenticated separately.
The technical scope can support personal-injury and aviation matters, criminal defense and prosecution matters where a drone is at issue, insurance claims, enterprise incident review and FAA remote-identification compliance disputes. Reports are written so a rebuttal examiner can pull the same log fragments and reach a reproducible conclusion about the flight.
Scope
DJI flight-log analysis
Analysis of FLYxxx DAT logs, mobile-app DAT and TXT logs, encrypted flight-record fragments and DJI GO / DJI Fly application artifacts. Coverage of GPS coordinates, altitude, ground speed, battery state and control inputs across supported model families.
Non-DJI manufacturer support
Analysis of Autel, Parrot, Skydio and other supported airframes where the tool set and mobile-app data allow reproducible extraction.
Controller and remote-ID analysis
Extraction of control-input records from remote controllers, analysis of remote-ID broadcast state where the airframe supports it, and reconciliation against ADS-B and ground-station records where those records are in the case.
Onboard media authentication
Preservation of onboard SD cards, container-integrity analysis of the recorded video and image files, and reconciliation of the media timeline against the flight-log timeline.
Enterprise fleet and cloud records
Analysis of enterprise fleet-management records for supported platforms (DJI FlightHub and successors, AirData UAV, DroneDeploy and equivalents) where the operator's account is in scope.
Criminal-defense and prosecution support
Independent analysis of drone evidence in federal and state matters, including reckless-operation, restricted-airspace and observation-related charges. Rebuttal of prosecution-side or plaintiff-side drone-expert reports.
Aviation-compliance and FAA subject-matter evidence
Written analysis of the flight record against FAA Part 107 and Part 89 remote-identification obligations. Coverage of restricted-airspace, altitude and line-of-sight questions where the record supports them.
Methodology
How a drone forensics matter runs
-
Retention and airframe intake
Retention letter, conflict check across manufacturers and enterprise-fleet operators, and a scope note stating the airframe, the flight app, the controller and the media in scope.
-
Preservation and acquisition
Hash-verified acquisition of the aircraft internal storage where supported, mobile-app data extraction, controller storage imaging and SD-card imaging under a documented custody chain.
-
Log analysis and reconciliation
Analysis of primary and secondary flight logs, reconciliation of controller inputs, mobile-app streaming caches and cloud records where available. Time-zone conventions stated and any coordinate-frame conventions noted.
-
Report and testimony
A written report and, where the matter reaches it, deposition and trial testimony bounded by the report.
Evidence commonly examined
Evidence reviewed
- Aircraft internal storage images and FLYxxx DAT logs where supported
- Mobile-app data (DJI GO 4, DJI Fly and equivalent) from iOS or Android
- Remote-controller storage and control-input records
- Onboard SD-card media and container metadata
- Enterprise fleet-management exports for the operator's account
- ADS-B, ATC and ground-station records produced by other parties
- Court orders, protective orders and any drone-specific ESI protocols
What you can expect
What you receive
- Written report on the drone's behavior during the event
- Timeline appendix reconciling aircraft, controller, mobile-app and cloud records
- Media appendix on onboard SD-card evidence and container authentication
- Deposition and trial testimony bounded by the report
- Rebuttal declaration on an opposing drone expert's report where relevant
- Court-facing demonstratives sourced to log fragments and captured media
Frequently asked
Common questions
Which drone platforms are supported?
DJI, Autel, Parrot, Skydio and other manufacturers can be examined where the model, firmware, tool set and mobile-app data allow reproducible extraction. Support is confirmed against the specific airframe before the engagement is accepted.
Can encrypted DJI flight-log fragments be examined?
Where the tool set supports the specific model and firmware, encrypted fragments in the mobile-app data can be examined. Where the fragments cannot be resolved, the report says so and analyzes the surrounding records.
Do you handle FAA Part 107 and Part 89 remote-ID questions?
Yes. The report analyzes what the flight record shows against the operational obligations at issue. Regulatory conclusions are the responsibility of counsel; the report supplies the technical facts.
How do you preserve a crashed or damaged airframe?
Field preservation is arranged under counsel-approved conditions. Where the airframe is damaged, non-destructive access is attempted first; where it is not possible, the report documents the damage state and the recovery method used.
Can you rebut a prosecution-side drone expert report in a federal criminal matter?
A rebuttal engagement reviews the opposing opinion against the available aircraft, controller, application and cloud records. It stays grounded in the flight record and does not adopt narrative characterizations that the logs do not support.
Related capabilities
Related services
Talk with an examiner
Discuss the matter and the next step.
Call to discuss timing, scope and the safest way to share information. Do not send evidence or credentials by email.
24/7 hotline: 1-800-868-8189