P4 lost signal crash help with log file

[Pedro Abreu]

Hi,

Two months after buying P4 I had a major crash.
P4 was 450 away, ~120m high and remote lost signal with P4. No video and no idea if I was controlling P4 as I was not seeing it.

From log file, I see a 14 seconds period of lost signal followed by RTH. In his way home it crashes to a flag pole after avoiding a tower climbing about 10 meters. What are the odds to crash into a 10 cm diameter pole ?!

Anyway, collected P4 from top of roof with a broken gimbal and several holes and cracks.

Anyone can help, looking at log file and sharing if you see any malfunction in this lost signal (14 sec dur @ ~450 m away) that could be used to activate warranty ?

I also share the last seconds of my P4 !


Lesson Learned for me: legal rules state a 120 m maximum high. I was constrained by this. However I flew to a upper place (P4 was at 120m high from start but around 60m high to ground where it crashed). DJI Go should show high relative to current position. Shame on me that was constrained to 120m high relative to take off position. This lesson learned might be useful to others.

Pilot safely and well appreciated any comment.
Thank you,

Pedro

 

[IIIDaemon]

.
...Pe

Hi,

Two months after buying P4 I had a major crash.
P4 was 450 away, ~120m high and remote lost signal with P4. No video and no idea if I was controlling P4 as I was not seeing it.

From log file, I see a 14 seconds period of lost signal followed by RTH. In his way home it crashes to a flag pole after avoiding a tower climbing about 10 meters. What are the odds to crash into a 10 cm diameter pole ?!

Anyway, collected P4 from top of roof with a broken gimbal and several holes and cracks.

Anyone can help, looking at log file and sharing if you see any malfunction in this lost signal (14 sec dur @ ~450 m away) that could be used to activate warranty ?

Lesson Learned for me: legal rules state a 120 m maximum high. I was constrained by this. However I flew to a upper place (P4 was at 120m high from start but around 60m high to ground where it crashed). DJI Go should show high relative to current position. Shame on me that was constrained to 120m high relative to take off position. This lesson learned might be useful to others.

Pilot safely and well appreciated any comment.
Thank you,

Pedro

.
...Pedro, sounds like you've got it figured out and learned from it, I doubt very seriously DJI would warranty this, the fail-safes are not flawless...
.
IIIDaemon
www.GasRecovery.net

 

[Meta4]

Anyone can help, looking at log file and sharing if you see any malfunction in this lost signal (14 sec dur @ ~450 m away) that could be used to activate warranty ?

Lesson Learned for me: legal rules state a 120 m maximum high. I was constrained by this. However I flew to a upper place (P4 was at 120m high from start but around 60m high to ground where it crashed). DJI Go should show high relative to current position. Shame on me that was constrained to 120m high relative to take off position.

Why are you thinking you are constrained to 120 metres above launch point?
Because you could fly at the same site from different take-off positions, higher and lower than where you launched, legal altitude restrictions only relate to the ground below your Phantom - not where you launched.
If you thought the Phantom was limiting you, you were not aware that its altitude limit is user adjustable and can be set up to 500m.
Just like flying in a Cessna, the Phantom has no instrument capable of sensing the altitude of the ground below it.

 

[Pedro Abreu]

.
...Pe

.
...Pedro, sounds like you've got it figured out and learned from it, I doubt very seriously DJI would warranty this, the fail-safes are not flawless...
.
IIIDaemon
www.GasRecovery.net

Thank you for your time.

What surprised me, and I was not aware, was that it could lose signal at 450m distance. DJI advertises maximum 5.000m (10 times more). When P4 decided to return home, it did a good job. (avoided a tower, but unfortunately in its route to take off position there was a flag pole)

Pedro

 

[IIIDaemon]

Thank you for your time.

What surprised me, and I was not aware, was that it could lose signal at 450m distance. DJI advertises maximum 5.000m (10 times more). When P4 decided to return home, it did a good job. (avoided a tower, but unfortunately in its route to take off position there was a flag pole)

Pedro

.
...Pedro, as you know that spec is 'Unobstructed, Interference Free', also thx for that FlightLog file.. if you decide to repair this drone, I'd be interested in purchasing any of the old/damaged parts, jus lemme know...
.

 

[Pedro Abreu]

Why are you thinking you are constrained to 120 metres above launch point?
Because you could fly at the same site from different take-off positions, higher and lower than where you launched, legal altitude restrictions only relate to the ground below your Phantom - not where you launched.
If you thought the Phantom was limiting you, you were not aware that its altitude limit is user adjustable and can be set up to 500m.
Just like flying in a Cessna, the Phantom has no instrument capable of sensing the altitude of the ground below it.

Thank you for your time.
You are right. However if you are in a restricted area that does not allow you to go above 120 m, P4 will start to descend if you go above 120m from launch position, even if it is only at 60m from ground. I believe that these previous experiences were constraining me to go above 120m high during this last flight.
I should have thought thoroughly about the hight that is shown in DJI Go App.

Pedro

 

[Meta4]

Lesson Learned for me: legal rules state a 120 m maximum high. I was constrained by this.

Thank you for your time.
You are right. However if you are in a restricted area that does not allow you to go above 120 m, P4 will start to descend if you go above 120m from launch position, even if it is only at 60m from ground. I believe that these previous experiences were constraining me to go above 120m high during this last flight.

There's nothing to suggest that your Phantom would descend if you go above 120 metres and there's nothing in the Phantom's programming to do this.
You flew at 120m (above launch point) until you lost signal.
When signal was restored, the Phantom was at 123m and climbing to 128m before it hit the flagpole

In your situation, it would have been quite legal to climb to 200m higher than your launch point and still be 120m above the area you were flying.

The legal requirement is not linked to the height above your launch point.
You could have two Phantoms flying the same location, but one launched from a lower point and the other from higher up.
If one is legal, both are because the limit is based on the ground below your drone, not where it was launched from.

 

[Razorc195]

.
...Pe. Anyone seeing the same problems with the p4 pro...??? Also; are these crashes followinf a s/w update? If so what version update? May want to back up to previous s/w version where all was well...! I personally dine do auto updates, and then only update after the version has been out at least a month or two and if the update fixes aime dramatic issue...! Same for all my electronics, especially my iphone, because they don't throughly test(beta) their s/w upgrades, waiting on user feedbacks...

.
...Pedro, sounds like you've got it figured out and learned from it, I doubt very seriously DJI would warranty this, the fail-safes are not flawless...
.
IIIDaemon
www.GasRecovery.net

 

[Razorc195]

Also; with allthe gov and public adversity to drones it would not surprise me that they/someone is hacking the s/w to cause crashes.... kinda like snowflakes rejection of Trump...no logic, just emotion...!!! Seems to be the trend these days...!!! We have to fight back. Ask DJI to add anti tamper to their S/W to prevent/slow hacking....!!!

 

[Quamera]

Also; with allthe gov and public adversity to drones it would not surprise me that they/someone is hacking the s/w to cause crashes.... kinda like snowflakes rejection of Trump...no logic, just emotion...!!! Seems to be the trend these days...!!! We have to fight back. Ask DJI to add anti tamper to their S/W to prevent/slow hacking....!!!

Razorc195, IMHO you are a bit paranoid, there are a lot of unfortunate things that can happen to Phantoms but so far being hacked isn't one of them. I won't say no one is trying to but they haven't been successful yet (except in a pranged pilots perception) and there are a heap of easier and more rewarding targets than any UAV. There is the possibility of the RC signal being jammed by a RF transmitter but the Go app would tell you about that and the Phantom would RTH anyway.