Qualitative analysis: minimal cuts
Fault Tree Analysis applied to an Autonomous Drone System

Minimal cuts represent the smallest combinations of elementary events capable, on their own, of causing the loss of the drone. In the non-redundant architecture studied, several of these combinations correspond to single failures.

Minimum cuts of order 1 (single failure points)

• {Engine failure}

• {ESC failure}

• {Loss of GNSS}

• {Loss of IMU}

• {Flight controller software failure}

• {Complete battery discharge}

• {BMS failure}

Minimum cuts of order 2 (combined failures required)

• {Radio module failure} AND {low battery}

• {Link obstruction} AND {low battery}