What you need to know if a drone crashes into your home

Recent geopolitical events and the development of unmanned aerial vehicle (drone) technologies have introduced new risks and questions. The media has discussed a drone of unclear origin and purpose (possibly “Gerbera”) that flew across Vilnius and crashed in the Gaižiūnai training area, prompting residents to wonder: what would happen with home insurance if such a device fell onto a house or flew through an apartment window? In this article, we will review what Lithuanian insurance companies provide for and what you should pay attention to.

All major insurers operating in Lithuania – Lietuvos draudimas, ERGO, Balcia, BTA, Compensa, and Gjensidige – classify “the fall of a controlled aircraft, its parts, or cargo” under fire risk in their home insurance policies:

• In Lietuvos draudimas policies, this risk is explained as the impact or collision of a controlled aircraft (or one that has become uncontrolled due to malfunction, accident, pilot error, or lack of experience), its parts, or cargo carried by it with moving or stationary objects;
• Balcia wording: “Fall of an aircraft, its parts, or cargo” – this refers to the direct fall of a manned or unmanned aircraft, its parts, or cargo;
• In ERGO policies it is stated: “the fall of controlled aircraft, their parts, or cargo”;
• BTA defines it as: “The fall of a controlled aircraft, its parts, or cargo onto the insured property.”

Thus, in all companies’ policies, this risk is considered a standard insured event, so there is no need to include it additionally.

This means that if a neighbor’s controlled drone or model aircraft unexpectedly fell onto your roof, window, or balcony, home insurance would cover the repair costs.

All the mentioned insurance companies uniformly apply limitations on compensation if the event is related to acts of war, invasion, civil war, массовые unrest, or terrorist attacks. For example, Lietuvos draudimas states that no insurance payout is made when damage occurs due to war, a coup, riots, or a terrorist act. In its policies, BTA notes that losses related to military operations, invasion, civil war, or terrorism are not compensated. ERGO’s exclusions further emphasize that insurance does not apply even to losses indirectly caused by war or terrorist activities.

In practice, this means that if a drone is of military purpose and its fall is recognized as a consequence of war or a terrorist act, the insurance company has the right to refuse to pay compensation. Such a case would be, for example, if part of a “Shahed” unmanned aerial vehicle used in warfare hit your home. If the purpose of the device is unclear (as in the mentioned “Gerbera”), the decision on whether it is considered an insured event will be made by the insurer, based on the conclusions of official authorities.

First and foremost – take care of your own and your loved ones’ safety. Regardless of whether the device resembles a toy drone or a suspicious flying object, the most important thing is to act according to emergency situation guidelines:

• Protect life. If you are indoors and see an approaching or already fallen drone through the window, do not open the windows and do not go near the crash site. If you are outdoors, move as far away as possible and warn others. If there are injured people, take care of them and follow first aid principles.
• Call 112. Immediately report to the Emergency Response Center, briefly describe the situation and provide the exact location. Follow the dispatcher’s instructions – this will help coordinate rescue efforts and prevent greater damage.
• Do not touch the debris. A fallen drone may be dangerous: it may contain unexploded components, flammable materials, or electronics that could spark. Do not touch or carry debris, and do not touch wires or other parts. Leave the area calmly so that the emergency services can inspect it.
• Document only when it is safe to do so. Once firefighters or other services confirm that the area is safe, you can take photos or video footage that may later be useful when dealing with the insurance company. The most important thing is that documentation is only done when there is no danger to you or others.
• If you see an approaching drone and do not know its purpose, stay in a safe place. Do not approach or try to catch the device, as its fall trajectory cannot be accurately predicted. Indoors, it is safer to stay away from windows, and outdoors – as far as possible from buildings, trees, and power lines.

These actions will help avoid additional injuries and allow authorities to assess the situation more quickly. Only once you have avoided danger and ensured your safety can you begin documenting damage for insurance purposes.

Drone technology is evolving faster than insurance policies can adapt. Just a few years ago, many policies referred only to the “fall of an aircraft,” assuming it to be a directly piloted aircraft, but now there is an increasing variety of drones and flying devices. Considering that drones of unclear purpose can reach our territory even outside of wartime conditions (for example, a device launched from another country deviating from its course), it is likely that insurers will need to more precisely define in the future when the fall of an unmanned device is considered a military incident and when it is treated as an insured accident.

We suggest noting that the fall of an aircraft or its parts is not classified under fire risk without reason. This risk category includes events that occur rarely (such as fire or explosion), but their consequences are often severe and the damage very significant. Therefore, although the risk of an aircraft impact remains very low, home insurance exists precisely so that if something does happen, you would receive real support.