I flew behind my house and above the woods with line of sight...I lost control and was disoriented with the direction of flight. I lost connection to the drone multiple times and the return to home function was not set properly and it tried to return to a location that was south of me. A helicopter was in the area. They indicated that I flew within 20 feet of their aircraft, but I did not see them. I tried to navigate back to my location and after multiple attempts I was successful. The helicopter followed the drone back to my location and Public Officials confiscated the drone...The App shows when aircraft are present or close. This never occurred until returning home...Not sure if the helicopter was broadcasting or any other traffic was present.   

Flying a...fixed wing RC in an open park space in early morning. An unleashed dog came running up and created a distraction...at which time the aircraft drifted about 200 yards downwind over nearby residential area. Steered the aircraft back, but at one point the wind and turbulence became too much and the aircraft went down over the residential area. It has so far not been relocated. The winds were much too close to the limits for such a light aircraft.

I was flying my drone by the lake shore in ZZZ and I was so focused on the video clips I was recording that I failed to realize I briefly broke a FAR by flying my drone over moving traffic. During the flight I did not realize I broke a FAR as I am a newer drone pilot. After I made this mistake I showed the video to a friend who is a Part 107 pilot and he made me aware of my mistake. … I believe I messed up as I was in a rush to use my drone before sunset and I did not do the proper research prior to flying in this location. … I will be obtaining my Part 107 Drone license to enhance my knowledge on the FAR's for UAS operations and I will be ensuring I get more drone experience before I fly my UAS in a complex area to navigate. 

Also I need to further analyze the PAVE model (Pilot, Aircraft, Environment, External pressures) before flying my UAS. Better [use of] the PAVE model would have alerted me that I was rushing and was not in the correct mindset for flight and the external pressure of rushing to fly before sunset caused me to lose situational awareness. With that knowledge I should have called the flight off for another day so I could have the time to do the proper research prior to flying and be in the correct state of mind to conduct UAS operations.

I activated a newly acquired DJI Mini 3 Pro (less than 250g) and the RC Controller map indicated no issues flying below 200 ft. AGL at my location. As a result, I undertook drone flights above my property on the afternoon of Day 0 and the morning of Day 1. While researching further drone resources online I discovered B4UFLY, UAV Coach, and ALOFT. I successfully completed The Recreational UAS Safety Test (TRUST) and subsequently requested LAANC¹ approval for an additional flight (to test the system and my ability to access it) on the afternoon of Day 1. 

I realize now that my initial flights required [LAANC] approval. B4UFLY clearly indicates that fact on their map and DJI should incorporate the B4UFLY database, to avoid inadvertent violations by new owners. In retrospect, I should have done more research before flying but I was under the impression that micro drones (<250 g) could be flown anywhere <400 ft. AGL unless alerted by the DJI Fly App. I know better now and hope to educate other new drone pilots to that fact by submitting this voluntary report.