A small UA loses its control link during a mapping flight, executes its programmed lost-link procedure, returns to the launch point, and lands without damage. Is an NTSB notification required?

Why →The NTSB draws the line at whether the aircraft did what it was designed to do. Its advisory on § 830.5 reporting says a true fly-away qualifies as a flight control system malfunction, while a lost link that behaves as expected does not. A programmed return-to-home is expected behavior, so Part 830 is not triggered, and with no injury and no third-party damage § 107.9 has nothing to say either.

The trap →The any-lost-link option turns a normal, designed-for event into a reportable failure. The 30-second option invents a time threshold that appears nowhere in the regulation; a plausible-sounding number is a favorite trap on reporting questions.

Field note →Ask one question: did the aircraft obey its programming? A lost link with a clean return-to-home is a note in your logbook. Uncommanded wandering is a phone call to the NTSB.