Phantom dropped out of the sky

[Neon Euc]

Had a great day flying. Snow stopped, sun came out so launched on a full battery. Coming into land at around 150 metres when I get compass error. Then it dropped from the sky and landed on a snowy empty golf course. Camera snapped off but shell is in a good condition. Not even a crack. Using litchi but wondering how a compass error can happen so high up.

Can anyone post a link on where to upload my DJI files please. I am only used to doing litchi so haven't a clue. If its compass error and a failure I take it DJI will repair it for free despite it being over a year old?

If not then I am done with drones. Thanks anyway guys and will upload the DATA as soon as someone will put a link on here [emoji4]

 

[sar104]

Upload txt leg to DJI Flight Log Viewer and then post the link.

Retrieve the DAT file as described in How to retrieve a .DAT, then upload to Dropbox or similar and post the shared link.

 

[Oso]

If its compass error and a failure I take it DJI will repair it for free despite it being over a year old? If not then I am done with drones.

This is a bummer sir. I'm sorry to see you so down after being so excited just a few hours ago. Perhaps delete your post from earlier today about flying in the heavy snow before you ask DJI to repair it for free.

 

[dirkclod]

Hate it happened Neon but don't say your done. Had to many to crash
and thought that only to have another one within the month .
Why I keep several so when I do crash and I do I have a back up.

 

[Neon Euc]

Thanks guys. Here is the footage of the crash. Will edit it properly and Oso you could be right about what you say mate Lol. Dirkclod... I can't really see myself giving up this great hobby. Can't figure out why compass error would cause it to drop. But watched the footage of it dropping and it's amazing Lol. Will upload the link later. Comically airdata said that there was no compass error when I checked the log haha. Well... If anyone would be kind enough to help me get the data up I would be so greatful [emoji4]

 

[Fly Dawg]

Comically airdata said that there was no compass error when I checked the log

Sorry to hear that, just saw your earlier post. Upload the logs per the instructions previous, and in the interim, since you said you looked at the airdata file, share the link to that and we can start there until you get the other data file uploaded.

 

[BigAl07]

This is a bummer sir. I'm sorry to see you so down after being so excited just a few hours ago. Perhaps delete your post from earlier today about flying in the heavy snow before you ask DJI to repair it for free.

Also don't forget about the post where it stayed outside in the rain & inverted over night last year.

Electronics and water is never a good combination. While it's a wild guess I'd venture to bet the two issues are related to today's incident.

Neon even if it was a complete Compass Failure I doubt DJI is going to offer much support in terms of repair unless you foot the bill. At 1 year (and many many flights) you've kind of gone well beyond "Warranty Expectations".

Don't quit. Keep in mind that if you fly them enough you will crash them. Try to not let it get you down as it happens to ALL of us eventually. The only way to NEVER crash is to NEVER fly.

 

[solentlife]

"Also don't forget about the post where it stayed outside in the rain & inverted over night last year." .... that is most likely the killer.

Rain despite what people think - is not 'clear water' - it is actually weak Carbonic Acid. The vapour as it cools and falls through the air takes in CO / CO2 and Carbonic Acid is produced. This is what erodes limestone hills and so on ...

Imagine that over time inside your P3A after that event last year ...... you have probably been suffering slow corrosion of components .... and any moisture ingress from the snow outing may have been the final straw.....

My sympathy.

As to calling it quits ??

I sent my P3S swimming .... total loss even though I recovered it.

Bought a P3P second hand.

That got bricked and had to be revived by DJI.

Hit a tree doing a test for others ! Cost me half price of replacement !

I'm still here !!

Nigel

 

[ryantrax]

Battery at 0%? Did you just run out of juice?

 

[BigAl07]

"Also don't forget about the post where it stayed outside in the rain & inverted over night last year." .... that is most likely the killer.

Rain despite what people think - is not 'clear water' - it is actually weak Carbonic Acid. The vapour as it cools and falls through the air takes in CO / CO2 and Carbonic Acid is produced. This is what erodes limestone hills and so on ...

Imagine that over time inside your P3A after that event last year ...... you have probably been suffering slow corrosion of components .... and any moisture ingress from the snow outing may have been the final straw.....

My sympathy.

As to calling it quits ??

I sent my P3S swimming .... total loss even though I recovered it.

Bought a P3P second hand.

That got bricked and had to be revived by DJI.

Hit a tree doing a test for others ! Cost me half price of replacement !

I'm still here !!

Nigel

I sent mine for a swim Oct 2016 and found it a few weeks ago (total loss)

 

[quaddamage]

Well, you can still use it as a decoration in front of the house.

 

[MapMaker53]

I'm still here !!
Nigel

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[WV. Rootman]

I sent mine for a swim Oct 2016 and found it a few weeks ago (total loss)

It’s not a total loss. You still have the gimbal guard. I know it’s a terrible thing to say. I’ve done the same thing. You don’t laugh you’ll cry.

 

[BigAl07]

It’s not a total loss. You still have the gimbal guard. I know it’s a terrible thing to say. I’ve done the same thing. You don’t laugh you’ll cry.

Very true. Plus it makes for a GREAT story

I'm just glad we found it and it wasn't stolen (some shady characters were hanging around at the "crash" site).

 

[quaddamage]

Very true. Plus it makes for a GREAT story

About the story.. Were you able to get anything from the SD-card?

 

[WV. Rootman]

Very true. Plus it makes for a GREAT story

I'm just glad we found it and it wasn't stolen (some shady characters were hanging around at the "crash" site).

I just find it hard that you can lose a drone. What chance do I have not Crashing? Believe me I’m really trying to be careful. I checked everything out in full before flight and then I let it hover for a while and check some things again just to make sure.

 

[dirkclod]

Isn't hard to believe. I had on 2 different drones the positive battery wire come lose from the main board while I was up and come down at that moment .
Stuff happens and it does when you least expect it and it don't matter how
careful you are . Just always keep that in mind when you are flying so it
doesn't hit you in the head . One almost did me and is posted way back in here .
Just saying .

 

[WV. Rootman]

Isn't hard to believe. I had on 2 different drones the positive battery wire come lose from the main board while I was up and come down at that moment .
Stuff happens and it does when you least expect it and it don't matter how
careful you are . Just always keep that in mind when you are flying so it
doesn't hit you in the head . One almost did me and is posted way back in here .
Just saying .

Really a good story. The same thing happened twice is freaky. Good point, when people get overconfident. It can happen, so be careful.

 

[deltamike]

Neon Euc said :- .......................If not then I am done with drones.

Yeah - you expect us to believe THAT Neon? Yeah right.

Now - about that battery ...............................

 

[BigAl07]

I just find it hard that you can lose a drone. What chance do I have not Crashing? Believe me I’m really trying to be careful. I checked everything out in full before flight and then I let it hover for a while and check some things again just to make sure.

It's partly about # of flights. Keep in mind I may have a "problem" in that I fly almost every day and sometimes I fly for literally hours a day. "Stuff" happens and even though I have aircraft with over 300 hours of perfect service (Hope I didn't just jinx myself) if you fly them enough you will have some type of failure.

The one "pictured" was an airframe that had 190 hours at the time it crashed. I was flying about 2 miles away (over a lake taking some money shots of the dam) when I got "Battery Error" or something like that. I started the return flight home and watched as the battery amount was dropping at an insane rate. It was falling something like 2% every few seconds as if it has a massive "short" in the system (which would have caused a shut down I imagine). Anyway I found a clearing half way between where it was and where I was and initiated my landing there. Unfortunately this "clearing" put the aircraft on the FAR side of a stand of very OLD Oak Trees. As the aircraft was descending the battery was getting critically low and the beeping increasing greatly. All was great (no people under the aircraft etc) until the aircraft descended below the Tree Line and I lost connection between the Tx and Rx. After just a few seconds of me running around a corner to re-establish the connection (so I could force it to land) RTH initiated. The airscraft ascended to the preset RTH (it was based on my location and did NOT factor 100+ year old oak tree heights). Once it hit that height it made a bee-line for my location and WHAMO into the oak trees. Several "witnesses" heard it impact the trees but no one saw anything at all.

We used the last known location (immediately prior to RTH kicking in) and plotted it's intended course. Unfortunately due to very heavy foliage and the LAKE we never found the aircraft until 16 months later. The lake was lowered to facilitate dam repair and I walked over and saw it within mere seconds and it was exactly where the "plotted flight path" had indicated but it would have been about 6-8 feet under murky water.

I need to pull the SD Card and see if anything is on it. . . .