It Finally Happened!

[OOO]

Hi guys,
Unfortunately, it finally happened to me. For the last month, I've been busy shooting in a beautiful canyon. I spent 8 full days in this canyon and it was a very nice experience for me both mentally and physically. On the last day, while I was shooting close-up of rock walls, the drone got stuck in a tree. It wasn't a hard hit, and I don't think the drone suffered any serious damage. The drone was in GPS mode with good signal quality and there was no connection problem during the entire flight. The camera was recording until the battery was completely exhausted. There's no one or nothing to blame, it's all my fault.
This canyon is one of the deepest canyons in the world, and the altitude difference between the top and the base is over 1000 meters in some regions. The tree where the drone is stuck is on a rocky peak and is impossible to reach. My phantom was my first love and I was definitely thinking of keeping it forever. Unfortunately, I’ve already lost that chance. But there's something else that upset me more than that. I'm an outdoor enthusiast and nature-lover, and very concerned about the possible damage the drone will cause to the canyon in the future. I'm particularly worried about the possibility of the battery explosion. Is the battery likely to explode in the future? What can be done to prevent this? Thank you in advance for your comments and answers.
OO

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[Deleted member 62848]

Hi guys,
Unfortunately, it finally happened to me. For the last month, I've been busy shooting in a beautiful canyon. I spent 8 full days in this canyon and it was a very nice experience for me both mentally and physically. On the last day, while I was shooting close-up of rock walls, the drone stuck in a tree. It wasn't a hard hit, and I don't think the drone had a major problem. The drone was in GPS mode with good signal quality and there was no connection problem during the entire flight. The camera was recording until the battery was completely exhausted. There's no one or nothing to blame, it's all my fault.
This canyon is one of the deepest canyons in the world, and the altitude difference between the top and the base is over 1000 meters in some regions. The tree where the drone is stuck is on a rocky peak and is impossible to reach. My phantom was my first love and I was definitely thinking of keeping it forever. Unfortunately, I’ve already lost that chance. But there's something else that upset me more than that. I'm an outdoor enthusiast and nature-lover, and very concerned about the possible damage the drone will cause to the canyon in the future. I'm particularly worried about the possibility of the battery explosion. Is the battery likely to explode in the future? What can be done to prevent this? Thank you in advance for your comments and answers.
OO

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Oh no,,hope not much damage, just saw on YouTube,,,any more drones about for you to use with a hook mayby,,hard to say what battery do,,it might just run flat,,I would love to get in there and help,

 

[OOO]

Oh no,,hope not much damage, just saw on YouTube,,,any more drones about for you to use with a hook mayby,,hard to say what battery do,,it might just run flat,,I would love to get in there and help

Thank you! The drone stuck to a tree at the top of a very high rock in the canyon. It's almost impossible to get there, maybe a professional rock climber. I'm not sure, but I think another phantom drone can't carry that much weight. An Inspire series drone maybe.

 

[Deleted member 62848]

Thank you! The drone stuck to a tree at the top of a very high rock in the canyon. It's almost impossible to get there, maybe a professional rock climber. I'm not sure, but I think another phantom drone can't carry that much weight. An Inspire series drone maybe.

I find this post p4p..I use mine for fishing and has no trouble taking out baited hooks and 5 ounce sinker in sport mode,,,have dropped water balloons ,I learnt from different front mounting points to find the most balance, for pulling braided fishing line out ,, the rear,,lifting must been dead centre between landing gear ,one time was a heavy water balloon which was making me drone work cause it was swinging everywhere,, mate if I was there I would comit my drone to try ,me has learnt to fly around trees and right in there to,no fear from me just have to commit,,so you need rock climber and a tree climber,,,those tree fellas pretty good,good luck man ,

 

[WV. Rootman]

I lost mine in a canyon over a year ago. I thought the same thing. Over time the battery succumbs to moisture. Being totally dead and moisture, it can no longer flare up. I tried it with an old P3 battery. I tried nails and tore it in half, nothing. I don’t know about the long term affects of the inert chemicals left. Maybe some color streak on the rocks eventually it will become diluted. Nature is massive compared to that one drone. It has a way of healing itself, fortunately.

 

[OOO]

I find this post p4p..I use mine for fishing and has no trouble taking out baited hooks and 5 ounce sinker in sport mode,,,have dropped water balloons ,I learnt from different front mounting points to find the most balance, for pulling braided fishing line out ,, the rear,,lifting must been dead centre between landing gear ,one time was a heavy water balloon which was making me drone work cause it was swinging everywhere,, mate if I was there I would comit my drone to try ,me has learnt to fly around trees and right in there to,no fear from me just have to commit,,so you need rock climber and a tree climber,,,those tree fellas pretty good,good luck man ,

Intersting! I think it's worth trying.

I lost mine in a canyon over a year ago. I thought the same thing. Over time the battery succumbs to moisture. Being totally dead and moisture, it can no longer flare up. I tried it with an old P3 battery. I tried nails and tore it in half, nothing. I don’t know about the long term affects of the inert chemicals left. Maybe some color streak on the rocks eventually it will become diluted. Nature is massive compared to that one drone. It has a way of healing itself, fortunately.

Thank you. This answer partially alleviated my concerns. But I'm gonna try and figure out a way to get the drone out of there.

 

[OOO]

Here's where the drone got stuck.

 

[WV. Rootman]

Wow. Is there anyway to get on the rocks above your drone? Possibly a hook on the end of a rope?
Where are the Dutch when you need them? They have trained eagles to retrieve drones.

 

[OOO]

Wow. Is there anyway to get on the rocks above your drone? Possibly a hook on the end of a rope?
Where are the Dutch when you need them? They have trained eagles to retrieve drones.

No way to get there. Eagles to retrieve drones? I've never heard that before.

 

[Deleted member 62848]

Wow you parked that in a good spot,,mayby put add out for mountaineering guide or climber that able and willing to help,does look tricky but being me I would attempt with aid of saftey line,,safest bet would be to hire a climber, might cost few bucks but cheaper than another drone,,they might do it just for the practice,,I think I would also explore this and see what they say,,surely some climbing groups in that stunning area must be active somewhere,,yes they do train eagles,,again good luck

 

[OOO]

Wow you parked that in a good spot,,mayby put add out for mountaineering guide or climber that able and willing to help,does look tricky but being me I would attempt with aid of saftey line,,safest bet would be to hire a climber, might cost few bucks but cheaper than another drone,,they might do it just for the practice,,I think I would also explore this and see what they say,,surely some climbing groups in that stunning area must be active somewhere,,yes they do train eagles,,again good luck

Thank you my friend. I’ll do everything I can to get it out of there.

 

[John Gowland]

I don't think the love of your life will do the environment any harm at all in comparison to what we drive a car around for a few minutes. Sorry for your loss. Do you have DJI Care or personal insurance?

 

[OOO]

I don't think the love of your life will do the environment any harm at all in comparison to what we drive a car around for a few minutes. Sorry for your loss. Do you have DJI Care or personal insurance?

Thank you. No, I don’t have any insurance.
The camera was active until the battery ran out. After the battery level was zero, it continued to operate for a while. Can a fully discharged drone battery explode?

 

[Andy9]

A completelly drained battery has no power at all so it can't explode. You need some source of an enefgy to do that. Although it is my personal opinion it is logical. So no fear of that.
I would try to make closer look of the site with the new drone which I'm pretty sure you'll buy. Then you can try to test lifting a Phantom with another Phantom to see if it's possible at all.
If possible then you ned to carefully plan the action. But anyway it is very risky. Depends on how much space is above tbe dead drone on that rock. It must be completelly calm with no wind. And you must be aware that the motors during such task would be at the limit of their power and they can do such for a very short time. And there is a proper hook you must get to catch the drone and it will be unstable at the moment of lifting moving in all directions forcing the lifting drone to balance all this. Pretty much posibilities to crash.
So I think that the only reliable way is the climber if it is worth at all.
But I'm sure you already estimate all this.

 

[John Gowland]

I agree with Andy9 there is very little likelihood of it exploding. But there is a lesson for all of us. Get insurance, please. There is a lot of hyperbole about exploding batteries out there, don't worry friend.

 

[OOO]

A completelly drained battery has no power at all so it can't explode. You need some source of an enefgy to do that. Although it is my personal opinion it is logical. So no fear of that.
I would try to make closer look of the site with the new drone which I'm pretty sure you'll buy. Then you can try to test lifting a Phantom with another Phantom to see if it's possible at all.
If possible then you ned to carefully plan the action. But anyway it is very risky. Depends on how much space is above tbe dead drone on that rock. It must be completelly calm with no wind. And you must be aware that the motors during such task would be at the limit of their power and they can do such for a very short time. And there is a proper hook you must get to catch the drone and it will be unstable at the moment of lifting moving in all directions forcing the lifting drone to balance all this. Pretty much posibilities to crash.
So I think that the only reliable way is the climber if it is worth at all.
But I'm sure you already estimate all this.

Thank you very much for this detailed answer and addressing my most important concern about this crash. I’ll wait for Mavic 3 or P5 whichever comes first.

 

[cneedelman]

Rear obstacle avoidance on?.... didn't help?

 

[OOO]

Rear obstacle avoidance on?.... didn't help?

Yes, the obstacle avoidance was on but did not give any visual or audible warning. Sometimes they may not see the tree branches. 

 

[cneedelman]

Yes, the obstacle avoidance was on but did not give any visual or audible warning. Sometimes they may not see the tree branches. 

Or the huge wall behind the branches. OA always seems to stop me from doing things I want to do, has yet to save me. I wind up turning it off mid flight.

 

[Andy9]

It is always risky filming something while flying backwards. I crash one P3A two years ago just like you did (branches).
And sensors are effective only at lower speed. At 40 miles/h it won't help. The same is with tiny branches.