3 Week Old Mavic 2 Pro Flew Away seconds after take off

[vindibona1]

Hello Everyone, google pointed me in this direction for some help. Last night i was about to fly around Brooklyn, New York. I saw the ready status was all green and ready to go and took off. I straight went up 66 ft. saw a view of manhattan. And then slowly watched the drone take itself further away from the home position, ultimately looking like the tail end dipped down and i was looking at the sky, until a crash point. Which according to my smart controller happened 44 ft up, 395 ft away. I typed the coordinates into my google maps and was able to find the residential building that appeared that it could have been 4 stories + 4 feet that the drone could have crash landed on top of. After knocking for a half hour i caught somebody coming home. They searched their roof this morning to no avail. I’ll be going back to Brooklyn now to investigate further. Is there anyway anyone could help maybe find a more approximate location? I’d be so grateful. My drone is barely a month old and i’ve only had the opportunity to fly it less than a hand full of times.

I could be wrong, but isn’t illegal to fly in all of New York City???

 

[icemadeit]

hello all- no luck yet. I know that my chances of locating it are gradually decreasing by the day. It's unfortunate and I spent 4 days looking in that vicinity around where we all assume it ended up. I've filed a claim with DJI and it's looking like i'll be able to get a replacement. I will keep you guys updated.

 

[Drone Views Media]

hello all- no luck yet. I know that my chances of locating it are gradually decreasing by the day. It's unfortunate and I spent 4 days looking in that vicinity around where we all assume it ended up. I've filed a claim with DJI and it's looking like i'll be able to get a replacement. I will keep you guys updated.

I wish you luck with DJI, they are usually very good

 

[icemadeit]

Thank you all!

After taking a look @ my flight data, they've concluded that they will cover my case under warranty, sending me a replacement free of cost. Thank you everybody so much for all of your help, and I look forward to learning a great deal about the art of flight in this forum.

 

[Drone Views Media]

Thank you all!

After taking a look @ my flight data, they've concluded that they will cover my case under warranty, sending me a replacement free of cost. Thank you everybody so much for all of your help, and I look forward to learning a great deal about the art of flight in this forum.

I'm happy DJI looked after you. Get back out there!

 

[vindibona1]

I'm happy DJI looked after you. Get back out there!

Agree... But we need to check the laws and make sure we're not flying in restricted areas.

I replied earlier but saw no comments from anyone so in case it wasn't seen I am attaching a link to the NYC drone laws. It appears that where the OP flew and crashed may be in violation of the NYC drone laws. If the drone had a registration number and found after the crash it is possible that the authorities could want to find the owner. For the sake of the community please make sure you are flying within all the rules.

NYC drone laws publication

 

[eEridani]

Too funny:

If you have a small drone that is less than 55 pounds, you can fly recreationally by following the Drone Laws in the USA defined by FAA Part 107 guidelines, however, NY City has specific restrictions listed below.

Recreational drone operations in NY City are approved under FAA Part 107 but restricted in NY City as per local rules. Please check the specific city and state jurisdiction for additional permissions, licensing, or clearance requirements.

 

[vindibona1]

Too funny:

Yeah- I was in Brooklyn two months ago with my drone and check the air space and found that I could fly as per FAA regulations. However when I checked the local was I found that there was nowhere that I could fly legally.
Totally bummed.

 

[eEridani]

Except recreational flight is NOT covered by Part 107, and per the FAA rec flights are 100% EXCLUDED from following any Part 107 rule. If you do fly rec, and do follow a Part 107 rule, you must be licensed for Part 107 flight. At least according to Steve at the FAA DroneZone help desk. The NY rule is bogus at that point - not ignorable - but just wrong.

Reading the NY rules above, parks and historical zones were off limits - so not sure the OP was flying outline the lines. Is that area a historical district? But - often when I read an opinion piece, as that article above is - there are mistakes in interpretation. So where are the actual statutes for NY and NYC?

Here's the nearest I can find --

§ 10-126 Avigation in and over the city.

Legal publisher offering ordinance codification services for local governments, specializing in providing codes of ordinances in print and on the Internet

codelibrary.amlegal.com

 

[sar104]

Except recreational flight is NOT covered by Part 107, and per the FAA rec flights are 100% EXCLUDED from following any Part 107 rule. If you do fly rec, and do follow a Part 107 rule, you must be licensed for Part 107 flight. At least according to Steve at the FAA DroneZone help desk. The NY rule is bogus at that point - not ignorable - but just wrong.

Reading the NY rules above, parks and historical zones were off limits - so not sure the OP was flying outline the lines. Is that area a historical district? But - often when I read an opinion piece, as that article above is - there are mistakes in interpretation. So where are the actual statutes for NY and NYC?

Here's the nearest I can find --

§ 10-126 Avigation in and over the city.

Legal publisher offering ordinance codification services for local governments, specializing in providing codes of ordinances in print and on the Internet

codelibrary.amlegal.com

It's not an FAA regulation and it's not an airspace restriction - it's a local NYC law that prohibits sUAS flight operations (takeoff and landing) in the city. Just like the NPS rules. That's entirely legitimate.

As for which rules to follow when flying recreationally, you don't get to mix and match - for any given flight you either fly solely under 49 U.S.C §44809 or solely under 14 CFR Part 107. And obviously to fly under Part 107 you must be Part 107 certified.

 

[Earthman]

For future reference…

Things I do to help find lost RC aircraft:

1. I calibrate the compass before flight at every site.

2. I check and change the loss of signal behavior of the drone to make it appropriate for the site.

3. I make sure there is and will be adequate GPS coverage for the duration of the flight. GPS navigation and the GPS location aren't as reliable as most people think. Even with good coverage, in the open, without buildings to block the GPS signal, you can lose GPS navigation when all visible GPS satellites get bunched together overhead. Trimble has free software typically used by surveyors for planning GPS surveys with respect to satellite signal availability and quality.

4. I only fly line of sight.

5. I put good quality reflective tape on the aircraft so a price of it is visible from every direction. You can see this from a long way away after sunset with a flashlight. It helps you locate a downed aircraft even in dense weeds and trees.

6. I have and use a Marco Polo RF locator attached to my more expensive aircraft. The part that attaches to the aircraft costs $75.

I have had several aircraft go down in the woods but have recovered them all by evening.

I have lost radio control of several recreational fixed-wing RC aircraft that were less than 200-ft away for no apparent reason while using good RC equipment. This resulted in a crash at the flying field.

I have never lost RC control of the 6 DJI drones I fly commercially. Consequently, I assume that most “flyaways” with DJI drones are due to pilot error.

 

[stevie gee]

The camera pointed at the sky sounds like a rear prop came off or motor failure. A failing prop may also explain the immediate drift. By the way - the GPS coordinates can be off quite a ways:

This is a 30 minute hover in my garage - the drone never moved from hovering over the launch pad. So plan on searching a radius of 50 feet from the spot the log says the drone ended up.

View attachment 135336

I fly over water a lot and after it starts out I hear it say “home point set” after it gets over the water as if I do RTH it’s going to try & land in the water. Mine is an Air 2 Refurb and I do not recommend buying one. It’s had several other problems like signal loss it should’ve have. I wish I could get a refund to be honest. I have a lemon.

 

[Sommer86]

Wow, that's some detective work in this thread!! I hope you find your drone, man. I had a fly away in a small-ish gust and I grabbed the kids and hopped in my car and followed it via the map on my controller (while it was still in the air). I found the drone landed next to a tree 3 miles away. I was about 1/4 mile ahead of me the whole time. It took about 12-15 minute for it to land/crash and run out of juice.

 

[tcody]

It used to be that Refresh covered replacement (for fee) only if you had a drone 'body' to send in.
Now though, I think there is extra cover for flyaway, the fee might be higher from a vague recollection of reading other posts here.

Sometimes, depending on the flyaway reason, if obviously machine firmware or software fault, DJI would replace under Refresh, or even under straight out warranty.

A lot will depend on the reason for this flyaway.
From your original flight description, I would have said there and then it 'sounds' like a typical compass / IMU disagreement on start up, happens quite often especially when taking off near anything metal.
Being in the city, take off surface might have been a sidewalk with rebar metal etc.

Lost my Mavic 2 Pro in a lake. 17’ down at last signal. Furiously argued flyaway with DJI. They stubbornly insisted pilot error. Even if accident caused loss, it’s termed a flyaway if unrecoverable. DJI Refresh does not cover Mavic 2 Pro for flyaways. Yep, I overlooked that detail. Best luck to you finding your drone. We can all relate to the pain and are rooting for you.

 

[sharkface]

Sometimes when you are looking for an X in the area? Your eyes straining for the shape .... you can easily overlook a folded drone. Look in Craigslist, and ebay

 

[Kentucky Ranger]

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Do you have identification on the drone if somebody finds it?

The FAA registration number may be useful to find you and I've read that DJI will help sometimes via the serial number if somebody finds it down the road.

I have my contact information on little stickers attached to everything concerning the drone. Batteries , remote, filters, etc.


Another good place to store information is the SD card itself as a text file just in case the stickers wear out over time.

Should my drone become stuck in a tree or under water, the SD card should still be readable.



.

I too put contact info on my drone.
My phone number and email address.
I should include a folder on the SD card as well, that’s an excellent idea!

 

[Meta4]

1. I calibrate the compass before flight at every site.

That's completely unnecessary and a waste of time.
It doesn't make your flying any safer.

2. I check and change the loss of signal behavior of the drone to make it appropriate for the site.

It's very rare that anything but the default setting of RTH on loss of signal is appropriate

3. I make sure there is and will be adequate GPS coverage for the duration of the flight. GPS navigation and the GPS location aren't as reliable as most people think. Even with good coverage, in the open, without buildings to block the GPS signal, you can lose GPS navigation when all visible GPS satellites get bunched together overhead.

Unless you fly where a significant part of the skyview is blocked by buildings, terrain or tree cover, there will always be more than enough satellites in your sky.
So many that there's no risk of them all being bunched together.
GPS is very reliable.

 

[Meta4]

Lost my Mavic 2 Pro in a lake. 17’ down at last signal. Furiously argued flyaway with DJI. They stubbornly insisted pilot error.

DJI flight data analysis is usually good, but their communications aren't.
If you want a second opinion, or a proper explanation of what the data shows, post your flight data here.

 

[Pallidin]

Was the OP even flying high enough?

 

[Meta4]

I fly over water a lot and after it starts out I hear it say “home point set” after it gets over the water

This can be avoided by waiting for the homepoint before launching, and climbing above the homepoint before flying off into the distance.