Fly within the rules
This page explains what aviation authorities, model-aircraft associations, racing bodies and researchers publish. It is not legal advice and not a substitute for your aviation authority's own rules, a club safety officer or proper training.
How complete this list is
Regulators were searched by web search on 30 October 2026: the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Health Canada and the EU Safety Gate. Their databases were not queried directly. A product missing from this page has not been shown to be free of recalls. A smoking or burning battery needs the emergency services.
United States: CPSC recalls
| Date and number | Product, as the CPSC names it | Hazard the CPSC states | Scale the CPSC gives |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 December 2024, recall 25-066 | HTRC C240 battery chargers, made by Shenzhen Haitan Technology Co., sold for charging lithium-ion batteries | The charger can ignite or cause a connected battery to ignite: a fire and burn hazard | About 34,600 units; 32 reports of fire and other thermal incidents, including five with significant property damage and one injury |
| 1 February 2024, recall 24-095 | The lithium-ion battery sold for Snap's Pixy flying camera, a small camera drone | The battery can overheat: a fire hazard | About 71,000 units |
| 25 June 2013, recall 13-227 | Dynamite 7.4 V LiPo (lithium polymer) batteries for Losi Micro remote-control vehicles, sold separately, recalled by Horizon Hobby | The leads were connected incorrectly to the connector, so use or charging could cause overheating: a fire hazard | About 117 units; no incidents reported |
| 19 August 2008, recall 08-364 | Rechargeable lithium-polymer batteries (part GPMP0401) sold alone or with Heli-Max Axe CP-L radio-controlled helicopter kits, recalled by Hobbico | The battery can overheat and catch fire while charging, igniting nearby combustible materials | 28 reports of overheating or melting, 27 with flames and minor property damage; no injuries |
| 14 April 2008 (page date), recall 08-558 | Lithium-polymer batteries and chargers sold with the AT600 Falcon Helicopter kit, plus spare batteries (AT600B) and spare chargers (ATS6046), recalled by Hobby-Lobby International | The batteries can ignite while charging | About 3,200 units; three incident reports, one with serious hand burns |
Points to read carefully
- The 2024 charger and drones. The CPSC's notice for the HTRC C240 does not mention drones. A Clemson University news item, seen only as a search summary, says the chargers were sold for lithium-polymer batteries such as those used in drones and other remote-control devices. That link to drones is unconfirmed.
- The Pixy recall: battery or drone? The CPSC's listing names the battery sold for the Pixy. Some news outlets describe a recall of the whole drone, and press coverage, seen as search summaries, reported four reports of overheating and bulging, one minor battery fire and one minor injury. The CPSC notice is the record; the press figures are unconfirmed. The Pixy is a consumer camera drone, not FPV racing equipment.
- A 2008 consumer alert. The CPSC also issued a 2008 consumer alert titled "Fire Hazard with Remote Controlled Helicopters and Airplanes". Only its title was seen; its text was not read.
Aviation authority notice: Ireland
On 2 November 2018 the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) published a notice about certain DJI drones powered by TB50 or TB55 batteries, after a small number of reported cases of complete in-flight power loss in which the drones fell and could not be recovered. The IAA said none had been reported in Ireland, and relayed DJI's advice not to fly over or near people or property that could be harmed if power were lost. These are camera and industrial drone batteries, not FPV racing batteries.
Canada and the EU
- Health Canada has published recalls of toy radio-controlled helicopters whose rechargeable lithium-ion batteries can overheat or ignite while charging. Only the titles of those archived notices were seen; their dates and details were not read. No Health Canada recall of an FPV drone, FPV battery or LiPo charger was found.
- EU Safety Gate: no alert for an FPV drone, FPV battery or LiPo charger was found by search.
What the notices show, and do not
Several of the hobby battery notices above give charging as the moment the hazard appears; that is the regulator's statement of the hazard, not an instruction, and this site gives no charging steps. A recall notice describes one product from one maker or seller; it is not evidence about other products. How bodies describe lithium battery fire risk in general is on LiPo batteries and battery fire risk.
Sources
- US CPSC, recall 25-066, HTRC C240 battery chargers (12 December 2024)
- Clemson University news item on the charger recall (search-result summary only)
- US CPSC, Digital Cameras recall listing (Snap Pixy battery, recall 24-095)
- DroneDJ, Pixy recall report (1 February 2024)
- TechCrunch, Snap Pixy drone recall (search-result summary only)
- PetaPixel, Snap recalls Pixy drone (search-result summary only)
- US CPSC, recall 13-227, Horizon Hobby batteries (25 June 2013)
- US CPSC, recall 08-364, Hobbico lithium-polymer batteries (19 August 2008)
- US CPSC, recall 08-558, Hobby-Lobby International batteries and chargers (14 April 2008)
- US CPSC, consumer alert on remote-controlled helicopters and airplanes (2008; title seen in search only)
- Irish Aviation Authority, Attention DJI drone operators (2 November 2018)
- Health Canada, three-channel RC helicopter recall (title seen in search only)
- Health Canada, Sky Scrambler indoor helicopter recall, archived (title seen in search only)