Autopilot crash, what should I have done?

dronedoc · Feb 7, 2017

Long time drone pilot, newbie Phantom 3 Standard pilot... First crash/tip this evening. How should I react next time?
Low battery alarm sounded, and I was finishing a shot at the playground with my son. I landed it (It really came down hard and bounced, not sure why), and the rotors were still spinning. I'm trying to do the "goofy control stick-in" deal to stop the rotors, when the app tells me that she is auto landing due to low battery. Drone starts to take off. I try to keep it on the ground. I'm fighting her, and she manages to get a few feet in the air as I'm fumbling for the cancel button on the app. I throttle down, she resists and the drone bounces, and face-plants. Rotors start spraying wood chips everywhere. A little girl behind me screams, and a small boy starts crying. I grab the drones landing legs and hold it up; it tries to pick me up. I try an old Engineering trick and yank out the battery - everything stops when it looses power! What should I have done?

Don't know if it matters, but I was on a hill about 50 feet above and 250 feet away from the home point.

MacPhantom · Feb 7, 2017

My advice...

I don't do the CSC to stop the props, I just hold the left stick down in the detent and it stops. Also, I try not to fly it to low battery warning.

Did the props get damaged? You can tell the kids you were just showing the advanced lawn mowing wood chipping capability of your new P3S. Remember, stuff like that only happens when you start the whole process with "Hey kids, watch this" and you have an audience.

Dan cutter · Feb 7, 2017

My p3 did same and destroys intself. Battery was 40 percent when a critical low voltage warning came up. The drone starts going down with no over ride possible. Very mountainous and forested--it landed hard and bounced. The motors ran Upside down in pumice for 3 seconds--all four motors and gimbal ruined. When I finally found it I watched the video--its last. I have now another p3 and P4---both have been flawless with hundreds of flights.