Lost Mavic after a mile out.

[Gary cato]

The pilot error is that the drone was flown beyond the signal range of the RC. Looking at the log, the signal showed a steady decline in strength as it was being flown further away. It's the pilot's responsibility to maintain control of the drone while flying. It's true the IMU failed which is an issue on DJI's end, but this was avoidable if the drone was simply piloted back closer to the RC to maintain a signal link. If the drone was piloted back manually, the drone could have been sent in for a warranty service. I do note that the pilot had multiple opportunities to steer the drone for the brief moments when it reconnected allowing for the drone to be steered back. I don't mean to sound harsh, I'm just being honest, and realistic. Reality can be harsh sometimes, I know from first hand experience.

I had an idea you would say that, sorry i never noticed the slow decline in signal strength and agree that at this point its always wise to bring the AC closer to home.

In my case it was instantaneous with no slow decline. i found this strange as all this has only happened since the 0400 upgrades and my range seems far more limited now as well.

Also gents i would never go against what you guys say i am a complete novice here in comparison.

i was curious if it was just because he was beyond VLOS that made this OP error.

 

[Cyberpower678]

I had an idea you would say that, sorry i never noticed the slow decline in signal strength and agree that at this point its always wise to bring the AC closer to home.

In my case it was instantaneous with no slow decline. i found this strange as all this has only happened since the 0400 upgrades and my range seems far more limited now as well.

Also gents i would never go against what you guys say i am a complete novice here in comparison.

i was curious if it was just because he was beyond VLOS that made this OP error.

Sudden drops are usually a result of the device connected to the RC or the cable. I'm usually inclined to believe that the RC is actually still connected and receiving telemetry.

 

[Gary cato]

Sudden drops are usually a result of the device connected to the RC or the cable. I'm usually inclined to believe that the RC is actually still connected and receiving telemetry.

not sure mine auto intitiated RTH worked flawlessly flew back till i picked up signal again the took over from there

 

[WCFields]

not sure mine auto intitiated RTH worked flawlessly flew back till i picked up signal again the took over from there

I don't feel it's pilot error but I accept any constructive criticism and comments as it is a learning experience albeit harsh one. Yes...I started losing the video feed and started to turn the drone back around and lost feed altogether. So, pressed RTH and I thought it was coming but it never did and I couldn't re-connect to it.
1 mile out is about 1600 metres. Should have been well within DJI's 7km range. I'm trying to get a dry suit to go out and look for it.Thanks for all the comments.

 

[Cyberpower678]

I don't feel it's pilot error but I accept any constructive criticism and comments as it is a learning experience albeit harsh one. Yes...I started losing the video feed and started to turn the drone back around and lost feed altogether. So, pressed RTH and I thought it was coming but it never did and I couldn't re-connect to it.
1 mile out is about 1600 metres. Should have been well within DJI's 7km range. I'm trying to get a dry suit to go out and look for it.Thanks for all the comments.

Keep in mind the 7 km range is only achievable with a clear LOS from RC to AC. Even a single tree can cut the transmission rate significantly.

 

[WCFields]

Keep in mind the 7 km range is only achievable with a clear LOS from RC to AC. Even a single tree can cut the transmission rate significantly.

Agree...as I've read many a thread regarding LOS but I never thought it would be such a short distance for my flight. I was trying to get to the lighthouse that was there.

 

[Gary cato]

even in perfect or almost perfect conditions i rarely get more than 2200 metres out. sometimes i get more distance in areas where i should not get signal than i do in open areas, go figure.

i guess i trust the drone a lot, I think it should do what is advertised, although where range is concerned i always take that with a pinch of salt.

At what point when you start to get a signal decline, do you make the decision to turn around? 4 bars or three,

If DJI were to use that as a poor excuse for pilot error; i would be a bit unhappy if i was the OP.

i do not think there is any criticism here constructive or otherwise, just the facts as they come out from the logs.

I think this is one case DJI should take on merit. Lets hope they do. If they can give twats like Neistat free Mavics among others out there, without questions or consequence, They should at least give cases like this the merit of a failure of the AC.

i doubt it though from what i hear of DJI

 

[WCFields]

even in perfect or almost perfect conditions i rarely get more than 2200 metres out. sometimes i get more distance in areas where i should not get signal than i do in open areas, go figure.

i guess i trust the drone a lot, I think it should do what is advertised, although where range is concerned i always take that with a pinch of salt.

At what point when you start to get a signal decline, do you make the decision to turn around? 4 bars or three,

If DJI were to use that as a poor excuse for pilot error; i would be a bit unhappy if i was the OP.

i do not think there is any criticism here constructive or otherwise, just the facts as they come out from the logs.

I think this is one case DJI should take on merit. Lets hope they do. If they can give twats like Neistat free Mavics among others out there, without questions or consequence, They should at least give cases like this the merit of a failure of the AC.

i doubt it though from what i hear of DJI

Actually it went down to 3 then 1 and none very quickly. When my screen started flashing on and off, I started back and then lost all video then pressed return to home. Understand no constructive criticism here...I was just saying that I accept whatever help is given. I have a case with DJI but haven't heard anything yet. I already ordered another mavic which will be in today. Thanks

 

[ed1nh0]

There are many occasions (on IOS) where i have had full signal then bang gone in an instant, complete loss, lucky for me RTH has always initialised and worked.

It happened to me yesterday!
For the first time since I'm flying with an iOS device this happened. I was flying around a mall (not over it but in its surroundings) and trying to do a Course Lock.
Everything was ok, the RC signal was full, around 19 satellites on GPS status and suddenly... gone!
I guess I went out of LOS.
The screen freezed and became gray... I tried move myself fast to regain LOS and lifting up the RC (desperate attitudes). Fortunately the signal was recovered fast and the RTH was not activated.
I brought it back manually, landed it right in front of me and started recaptulate what went wrong.
What makes me thoughtful is that it lost the signal pretty fast.

 

[normr]

I think it would be a good idea if someone came up with a standard form for people to fill out when they report a flyaway, the form would list information such as location where they took off from, time, what type of device they were flying, the versions of the software and firmware, which type of phone or tablet they were using and which version of that OS,

I think info like that could help identify problems quicker,

 

[WCFields]

** Follow up from DJI **

Thanks for your patience.

For the unfortunate incident happened to your drone, we have confirmed it as a warranty case according to our analysis.

We would like to offer you a 100% off coupon code for the item linked below, then you can place an order from DJI online store:

----------If the model is incorrect, please let us know.

----------Sorry that it is not available to apply the value of the discount to any other model other than the original model, or to credit the value to your account.

If you would like to take the offer, please reply to my email directly, for example “I accept the offer.” And may I know when you place the order, do you want to ship the aircraft to Canada?

It’s most advised for you to reply to this email directly, for I will get the coupon code ready.

Should you have more questions, please feel free to let me know.

Best Regards,

Sophia

DJI Tech Support


Hello all,
After a new firmware upgrade, I took out the mavic last Sunday and lost all connection with it after a while.
Pressed return home but it didn't come back.
Anyway...the log is with DJI but I was wondering what anyone here thought of it.
Thanks

I've uploaded the txt file.

 

[Cyberpower678]

Congrats.

 

[Gary cato]

great to hear that

 

[WCFields]

great to hear that

Yes it is....maybe not pilot error after all.

 

[Ciawz]

I've got some unfortunate news. Your drone initiated RTH, but the IMU failed mid-flight, which resulted in a switch to ATTI mode. The drone got carried away by the wind. The good news, it landed on land somewhere. I'm working on figuring out a potential landing zone the drone may have landed.

The drift away seems to be caused by a technical fault, but unfortunately this is still pilot error. The drone was flown beyond the signal range and the wind was gusty up to 34 kph.

Sorry i bolted my quotation of your post
I hope u wont mind

I have 3 questions,
1. How do we prevent this from happening?
2. When it enter ATTI mode, will it show up in the controller as OP said he lost connection with the drone (in normal connection, the controller screen will show ATTI)
3. How do i retrieve a flight log?
(hope the day i retrieve a log to be analyzed wont come)

Thanks

 

[Cyberpower678]

Sorry i bolted my quotation of your post
I hope u wont mind

I have 3 questions,
1. How do we prevent this from happening?
2. When it enter ATTI mode, will it show up in the controller as OP said he lost connection with the drone (in normal connection, the controller screen will show ATTI)
3. How do i retrieve a flight log?
(hope the day i retrieve a log to be analyzed wont come)

Thanks

https://www.phantomhelp.com/LogViewer/Upload/
or
How to retrieve a .DAT