Phantom caught on fire whilst stored

[Str8rippin]

I just saw this wrecked phantom on eBay, any idea how this could of started, and any prevention steps we can take??
http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.vi ... 1806997249

 

[Meta4]

Re: Phantom caught on fire

The controller and the guy's camera are scorched.
It didn't happen mid-flight at all.
It looks like a short while the Phantom was sitting at home.
Storing with the battery out might would have prevented this?

 

[msinger]

Since all of the props are unscathed, I'm going to assume it really caught fire while it wasn't being used. Also, the owners says nothing about it catching on fire mid flight.

So, I'd recommend storing your batteries in a LiPo bag.

 

[crash1sttime]

Ouch that's a phantom 2 vision, cant see anything being salvageable on it though.

 

[MacCool]

Yes. Lithium Polymer batteries are potentially dangerous...more so than NiMH, NiCd, or Lithium Ion.

 

[TuT]

It looks like it has caught fire while stored in its case. You can even see the case in one photo.

It is a worry how delicate these li-po batteries can be.

 

[rstekeur]

There's a lot of stored energy in one of those batteries. They shouldn't be charged unattended, and stored in a fireproof container. I had a lipo burst into flames when I dropped it

 

[MacCool]

I store mine in LiPo-safe fireproof bags. Probably will start using ammo cans, however. That sounds like a better idea.

 

[BlackTracer]

Funny how I havent seen a single member of this forum reporting a Phantom battery catching on fire in a normal storage situation. Nor have I ever heard of a fire being caused by a lipo battery in the news. This must really be a rampant problem. Its not like these things are exploding left and right.

And dont point me to a you tube video of one fire with one lipo where we dont know anything about it.

Just seems like some are paranoid about these things catching on fire spontaneously. Really? Just my $0.02.

 

[gbello23]

His description is pretty epic lol

Hi All,
With much reluctance....I place my beloved DJ Vision quad copter on the market...
Why would one do such a thing as it's the most popular camera drone ever!..
......It's obvious from the photos...!t caught fire spontaneously after Xmas 2014!
An email to DJ and the supplier...no response.! Great customer service DJI......not
I understand they probably don't want people freaked out by this unusual and ( I hope) one-off event. It's just lucky my house didn't catch fire and kill my kids....
Anyway, I am over it, and one of you lucky Ebay cats can own this piece of history for the right price of course. Lol. I think it's worth something...I just don't know what.... You decide OK ?
I am not sure what electronics still work, I don't really care. It looks cool though. Might even be a movie prop one day.... just saying...
For the winning bid...you get the DJ Phantom Vision 2 with associated burnt out bits ( IT IS BURNT OUT OK , you know this , right ? !!!!), Nikon v1 Camera ( Burnt too. OK ??? ..and I took the SD card out, so no good pics of my kid's girlfriends...creeeps..). There is also the control box thing.. You can have the carry box too... I am over it... Just take it away and stop the acrid smell of electrical smoke penetrating my house each time I open the box. Grrr. Take it please ! Please...?
Not happy DJ!
I had so many good memories with the drone...Until it nearly killed me and my family. DJI website.. ??? No response....
Anyway... Happy bidding.
No refunds , obviously.. If you live near Surfers Paradise.... I might,... maybe, ( grrrr) ... give you a free lesson in how to fly your new DJI Vision 2 Drone, as I will buy another and fly it with the inspiration and vigor of a young explorer....

The Badger

 

[LuvMyTJ]

Clearly a battery fire while in storage. The lesson here is to use a steel box, (ammo can, fireproof safe, etc), for storing lipo batteries. You could use a lipo bag, but some bags are inferior, and all bags are inferior to a steel box.

 

[rbhamilton]

Nor have I ever heard of a fire being caused by a lipo battery in the news.

Seriously? What deserted island have you been living on for the past 5 years? They catch fire all the time. Google is your friend.

 

[BioTeq]

Overall a pathetic ebay description and reasoning... if my phantom spontaneously caught on fire and there was no response from the company the first thing I would do is sue for damages, and I'm not even in the States... not that I'm saying that Americans randomly sue overy everything

 

[dbfletcher]

Overall a pathetic ebay description and reasoning... if my phantom spontaneously caught on fire and there was no response from the company the first thing I would do is sue for damages, and I'm not even in the States... not that I'm saying that Americans randomly sue overy everything

What the #$%@#%$#!? I'm gonna sue you for that comment!

 

[MickeM]

I wonder how many % of the Phantom-flyers that know the risks of handling, charging, discharging, using LiPo's...
The people I know that have Phantoms, dont know anything about the risks. Therefore it is 0%, at the moment. Hope it gets better.

 

[dbfletcher]

I wonder how many % of the Phantom-flyers that know the risks of handling, charging, discharging, using LiPo's...
The people I know that have Phantoms, dont know anything about the risks. Therefore it is 0%, at the moment. Hope it gets better.

Really? That kind of shocks me. Most of the ppl I know who have phantoms and been in the rc world for many years. I would hope that far more are aware of the risks than the first time rc owners who *might* not know about proper battery handling/charging/storage.

 

[BlackTracer]

Nor have I ever heard of a fire being caused by a lipo battery in the news.

Seriously? What deserted island have you been living on for the past 5 years? They catch fire all the time. Google is your friend.

Congrats you can Google image lipo battery fire. I have never heard a single news story, local or national, about a lipo battery fire. In the newspaper, on tv, or anywhere. Don't post Google images of lipo fires claiming those are news stories. That's ridiculous.

 

[LuvMyTJ]

Congrats you can Google image lipo battery fire. I have never heard a single news story, local or national, about a lipo battery fire. In the newspaper, on tv, or anywhere. Don't post Google images of lipo fires claiming those are news stories. That's ridiculous.

Apparently you haven't looked, need more?
Please don't be ignorant to the very real safety precautions that need to be followed when dealing with lipo's.

http://www.phantompilots.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=33680

http://www.flyinggiants.com/forums/showthread.php?t=51563

http://rc.runryder.com/helicopter/t584560p1/

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1201043

http://www.laureanno.com/RC/fire-pics.htm

http://www.greensbororadioaeromodelers.com/uploads/Lipo_Fire.pdf

http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=35073

http://youtu.be/8TqYZnVvSf8

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/rc-jets-120/11130097-lipo-fire-garage.html

 

[noiseboy72]

Just my take, but that looks like damage from heating not an intense lipo fire. When a big battery goes up, you would expect there to be virtually nothing left - even if fairly well sealed in a case.

My best guess would be there was a short circuit and this caused the battery to massively overheat and get very hot. This would lead to eventual combustion, but with some of the energy spent.

The short could be due to a crash, short in the case, foreign body, that sort of thing.

I still wouldn't buy the thing though!

 

[BlackTracer]

Congrats you can Google image lipo battery fire. I have never heard a single news story, local or national, about a lipo battery fire. In the newspaper, on tv, or anywhere. Don't post Google images of lipo fires claiming those are news stories. That's ridiculous.

Apparently you haven't looked, need more?
Please don't be ignorant to the very real safety precautions that need to be followed when dealing with lipo's.

http://www.phantompilots.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=33680

http://www.flyinggiants.com/forums/showthread.php?t=51563

http://rc.runryder.com/helicopter/t584560p1/

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1201043

http://www.laureanno.com/RC/fire-pics.htm

http://www.greensbororadioaeromodelers.com/uploads/Lipo_Fire.pdf

http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=35073

http://youtu.be/8TqYZnVvSf8

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/rc-jets-120/11130097-lipo-fire-garage.html

OK enough is enough. I am going to start storing mine in one of my 7.62 ammo cans.