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Air 2 - Goodbye little buddy.

thispilothere

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Joined
Jul 25, 2021
Messages
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Location
LA, CA
Was flying tonight around town. Drone wasn't far away, clearly visible to me and 2 observers. Very familiar with the area and there are no obstructions - especially at 300 feet. The drone suddenly lost stability but quickly recovered. I immediately turned to return home and it started off normal, then lost stability again and fell to the ground. I found the drone in grass just off a sidewalk in a mall parking lot. The drone is destroyed but the prop blades are still intact with little to no damage. I seriously doubt I was attacked by a bird (or bat). Any ideas what happened?


EDIT: The "Motor is Blocked" error is clearly the final issue but I can't find anything wrong with the housing, motor or blades. There was only moderate wind but could the drone have hit some flying debris? A grocery bag or paper or something? Napkin from the nearby McDonald's?


M 03m 26s 296.9 ft 1,668 ft Medium Risk Medium severity, more serious safety impact Detected side shock / possible collision, aircraft is rolling sharply to the left

N 03m 28s 276.2 ft 1,724 ft Medium Risk Medium severity, more serious safety impact Detected forward shock / possible collision, aircraft is pitching sharply forward

O 03m 28s 272.0 ft 1,732 ft Medium Risk Medium severity, more serious safety impact Detected side shock / possible collision, aircraft is rolling sharply to the left

P 03m 28s 269.7 ft 1,737 ft Tip Max power load reached. Fly with caution

Q 03m 28s 269.7 ft 1,737 ft Low Risk Low severity, impact on safety is likely not significant Aircraft max power load reached. Decrease altitude and fly with caution. If this issue persists, land immediately (Code: 30168). Low severity, impact on safety is likely not significant Lighting environment too dark. Vision System unavailable. Fly with caution (Code: 180037). Ambient light too

R 03m 29s 246.7 ft 1,774 ft Low Risk Low severity, impact on safety is likely not significantLighting environment too dark. Vision System unavailable. Fly with caution (Code: 180037). Ambient light too low. Vision system and obstacle sensing unavailable. Fly with caution (Code: 720148)
03m 32s 231.6 ft 1,804 ft
81% Battery at maximum distance
03m 43s 228.3 ft 1,578 ft
80% Battery

S 03m 47s 226.0 ft 1,425 ft Medium Risk Medium severity, more serious safety impactMotor error. Check propellers and fly with caution (Code: 120652)

T 03m 48s 224.7 ft 1,373 ft Tip Max power load reached. Fly with caution

U 03m 48s 224.7 ft 1,373 ft Low Risk Low severity, impact on safety is likely not significantAircraft max power load reached. Decrease altitude and fly with caution. If this issue persists, land immediately (Code: 30168). Low severity, impact on safety is likely not significantLighting environment too dark. Vision System unavailable. Fly with caution (Code: 180037). Ambient light too

V 03m 49s 223.1 ft 1,348 ft Low Risk Low severity, impact on safety is likely not significantAmbient light too low. Vision system and obstacle sensing unavailable. Fly with caution (Code: 180037)

W 03m 50s 224.4 ft 1,320 ft Tip Max power load reached. Fly with caution

X 03m 50s 224.4 ft 1,320 ft Low Risk Low severity, impact on safety is likely not significantAircraft max power load reached. Decrease altitude and fly with caution. If this issue persists, land immediately (Code: 30168). Low severity, impact on safety is likely not significantLighting environment too dark. Vision System unavailable. Fly with caution (Code: 180037)

Y 03m 50s 224.4 ft 1,311 ft Low Risk Low severity, impact on safety is likely not significantAmbient light too low. Vision system and obstacle sensing unavailable. Fly with caution (Code: 180037)

Z 03m 52s 227.0 ft 1,265 ft Medium Risk Medium severity, more serious safety impactMotor error. Check propellers and fly with caution (Code: 120652)

a 03m 53s 227.7 ft 1,227 ft Tip Max power load reached. Fly with caution

b 03m 53s 227.7 ft 1,227 ft Low Risk Low severity, impact on safety is likely not significantAircraft max power load reached. Decrease altitude and fly with caution. If this issue persists, land immediately (Code: 30168). Low severity, impact on safety is likely not significantLighting environment too dark. Vision System unavailable. Fly with caution (Code: 180037)

c 03m 53s 227.7 ft 1,215 ft Medium Risk Medium severity, more serious safety impactDetected side shock / possible collision, aircraft is rolling sharply to the left

d 03m 54s 224.4 ft 1,199 ft Medium Risk Medium severity, more serious safety impactDetected backward shock / possible collision, aircraft is pitching sharply backwards

e 03m 54s 220.1 ft 1,195 ft Medium Risk Medium severity, more serious safety impactDetected side shock / possible collision, aircraft is rolling sharply to the left

f 03m 54s 213.6 ft 1,192 ft Medium Risk Medium severity, more serious safety impactDetected side shock / possible collision, aircraft is rolling sharply to the left. Medium severity, more serious safety impactMotor is Blocked. Motor unable to rotate. Check for objects blocking motor or contact DJI Support for assistance (Code: 30165). Low severity, impact on safety is likely not significantAircraft max power load reached. Decrease altitude and fly with caution. If this issue persists, land immediately (Code: 30168). Decrea

g 03m 55s 210.6 ft 1,191 ft Medium Risk Medium severity, more serious safety impactMotor is Blocked

h 03m 55s 206.7 ft 1,190 ft Medium Risk Medium severity, more serious safety impactDetected backward shock / possible collision, aircraft is pitching sharply backwards. Medium severity, more serious safety impactDetected side shock / possible collision, aircraft is rolling sharply to the left. Medium severity, more serious safety impactMotor is Blocked

i 03m 55s 204.4 ft 1,189 ft Medium Risk Medium severity, more serious safety impactMotor is Blocked

j 03m 55s 197.2 ft 1,187 ft Medium Risk Medium severity, more serious safety impactDetected side shock / possible collision, aircraft is rolling sharply to the left. Medium severity, more serious safety impactMotor is Blocked

k 03m 55s 193.9 ft 1,187 ft Medium Risk Medium severity, more serious safety impactMotor is Blocked

l 03m 55s 190.0 ft 1,186 ft Medium Risk Medium severity, more serious safety impactDetected side shock / possible collision, aircraft is rolling sharply to the left. Medium severity, more serious safety impactMotor is Blocked

m 03m 55s 187.7 ft 1,185 ft Medium Risk Medium severity, more serious safety impactMotor is Blocked

n 03m 55s 183.4 ft 1,183 ft Medium Risk Medium severity, more serious safety impactDetected backward shock / possible collision, aircraft is pitching sharply backwards. Medium severity, more serious safety impactDetected side shock / possible collision, aircraft is rolling sharply to the left. Medium severity, more serious safety impactMotor is Blocked

o 03m 55s 179.1 ft 1,183 ft Medium Risk Medium severity, more serious safety impactMotor is Blocked

p 03m 56s 171.3 ft 1,181 ft Tip GPS signal weak

q 03m 56s 171.3 ft 1,181 ft Medium Risk Medium severity, more serious safety impactMotor is Blocked. Low severity, impact on safety is likely not significantGPS signal weak. Positioning accuracy affected. Fly with caution (Code: 30049). Motor unable to rotate. Check for objects blocking motor or contact DJI Support for assistance (Code: 30165). Low severity, impact on safety is likely not significantAircraft max power load reached. Decrease altitude and fly with caution. If this issue persists, land immediately (Code: 30168). Decrease

r 03m 56s 166.3 ft 1,181 ft Tip Max power load reached. Fly with caution

s 03m 56s 166.3 ft 1,181 ft Medium Risk Medium severity, more serious safety impactMotor is Blocked. Motor unable to rotate. Check for objects blocking motor or contact DJI Support for assistance (Code: 30165). Low severity, impact on safety is likely not significantAircraft max power load reached. Decrease altitude and fly with caution. If this issue persists, land immediately (Code: 30168)

t 03m 56s 161.7 ft 1,180 ft Tip GPS signal weak

u 03m 56s 161.7 ft 1,180 ft Medium Risk Medium severity, more serious safety impactDetected side shock / possible collision, aircraft is rolling sharply to the left. Medium severity, more serious safety impactMotor is Blocked. Low severity, impact on safety is likely not significantGPS signal weak. Positioning accuracy affected. Fly with caution (Code: 30049). Motor unable to rotate. Check for objects blocking motor or contact D

v 03m 56s 157.2 ft 1,177 ft Medium Risk Medium severity, more serious safety impactMotor is Blocked

w 03m 56s 142.4 ft 1,175 ft Medium Risk Medium severity, more serious safety impactDetected backward shock / possible collision, aircraft is pitching sharply backwards. Medium severity, more serious safety impactMotor is Blocked

x 03m 56s 136.8 ft 1,175 ft Medium Risk Medium severity, more serious safety impactMotor is Blocked

y 03m 56s 130.9 ft 1,175 ft Medium Risk Medium severity, more serious safety impactDetected backward shock / possible collision, aircraft is pitching sharply backwards. Medium severity, more serious safety impactDetected side shock / possible collision, aircraft is rolling sharply to the left. Medium severity, more serious safety impactMotor is Blocked

z 03m 57s 125.0 ft 1,175 ft Medium Risk Medium severity, more serious safety impactMotor is Blocked

A 03m 57s 120.7 ft 1,175 ft Medium Risk Medium severity, more serious safety impactDetected backward shock / possible collision, aircraft is pitching sharply backwards. Medium severity, more serious safety impactMotor is Blocked

B 03m 57s 114.5 ft 1,175 ft Medium Risk Medium severity, more serious safety impactMotor is Blocked

C 03m 57s 109.3 ft 1,174 ft Tip IMU calibration required

D 03m 57s 109.3 ft 1,174 ft Medium Risk Medium severity, more serious safety impactMotor is Blocked. IMU calibration required. Calibrate IMU (Code: 30050). Low severity, impact on safety is likely not significantGPS signal weak. Positioning accuracy affected. Fly with caution (Code: 30049). Gyroscope initialization failed. Restart aircraft (Code: 30045). Motor unable to rotate. Check fo

E 03m 57s 103.3 ft 1,174 ft Medium Risk Medium severity, more serious safety impactMotor is Blocked

F 03m 57s 98.8 ft 1,174 ft Mode Mode changed to Atti

G 03m 57s 98.8 ft 1,174 ft Medium Risk Medium severity, more serious safety impactMotor is Blocked. Low severity, impact on safety is likely not significantNot Enough Force/ESC Error. GPS signal weak. Switched to Attitude mode. Aircraft unable to hover. Fly with caution (Code: 120088)

H 03m 57s 93.8 ft 1,175 ft Medium Risk Medium severity, more serious safety impactMotor is Blocked. Low severity, impact on safety is likely not significantNot Enough Force/ESC
Error. Compass or GPS signal weak. Changed to Attitude mode (Code: 120080)

I 03m 57s 88.6 ft 1,174 ft Medium Risk Medium severity, more serious safety impactMotor is Blocked. Low severity, impact on safety is likely not significantNot Enough Force/ESC Error. IMU calibration required. Calibrate IMU (Code: 30050). Low severity, impact on safety is likely not significantGPS signal weak. Positioning accuracy affected. Fly with caution (Code: 30049). Gyroscope initialization failed. Restart aircraft (Code: 30045). Moto

J 03m 57s 78.1 ft 1,175 ft Medium Risk Medium severity, more serious safety impactMotor is Blocked. Low severity, impact on safety is likely not significantNot Enough Force/ESC Error. Motor unable to rotate. Check for objects blocking motor or contact DJI Support for assistance (Code: 120660)

K 03m 58s 73.2 ft 1,176 ft Medium Risk Medium severity, more serious safety impactMotor is Blocked. Low severity, impact on safety is likely not significantNot Enough Force/ESC Error

L 03m 58s 29.5 ft 1,186 ft Low Risk Low severity, impact on safety is likely not significantWeak signal. Adjust antennas (Code: 80016). Attitude mode. Fly with caution. Sensor error. GPS signal weak. IMU calibration required. Aircraft not connected to RC

M 03m 58s 29.5 ft 1,186 ft Medium Risk Medium severity, more serious safety impactMotor is Blocked. Low severity, impact on safety is likely not significantNot Enough Force/ESC Error. IMU calibration required. Calibrate IMU (Code: 30050). Low severity, impact on safety is likely not significantGPS signal weak. Positioning accuracy affected. Fly with caution (Code: 30049). Gyroscope initialization failed. Restart aircraft (Code: 30045). Airc

N 00m 00s 0.0 ft 1,180 ft Mode Mode changed to P-GPS
 
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It would probably be better to upload the flight log to DJI Flight Log Viewer | Phantom Help and then post the URL here
but could the drone have hit some flying debris? A grocery bag or paper or something?
I have seen a lightweight plastic bag bring down a Mavic 2 but not at 300ft, could a napkin or paper bag get up there in moderate winds.
Have you removed the props from their motors and examined them, in particular their hubs and hooks?
 
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It would probably be better to upload the flight log to DJI Flight Log Viewer | Phantom Help and then post the URL here

I have seen a lightweight plastic bag bring down a Mavic 2 but not at 300ft, could a napkin or paper bag get up there in moderate winds.
Have you removed the props from their motors and examined them, in particular their hubs and hooks?
Yeah. The only real damage was a small chip in a blade from the front right prop. I assume it's from when it hit the ground.

It's possible the motor just failed and the drone perceived that as an impact...I guess.
 
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Looking at the pitch and roll data might reveal if one motor went wonky, pitch and roll can be found in the flight log.

I'd guess there is little chance of it but it might be worth seeing if CsvView can read the DAT from the screen device ( that is if you have the DAT ). I imagine those DAT's are encrypted and unreadable but it won't hurt to try.
 
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Kudos on your long and VERY detailed post... bet that took quite a while to compose. However, posting the .txt flight log, as requested above, would be much more helpful for an expert analyst like, you know, say, @Meta4 to be able to analyze and tell you exactly what probably happened. Sorry for your loss, good luck on finding out why.
 
Further info - the front left motor is harder to turn than the others. Is it possible that something got tangled in it while in flight? I've never heard of that happening and nothing is visibly different but it's several times harder to turn than the others.
 
...Is it possible that something got...
Without you sharing the flightlog all this will just remain speculative... and will not lead anywhere.

Do as advised earlier... Go here --> DJI Flight Log Viewer | Phantom Help scroll down a bit & read up where on your mobile device (you flew with) you can locate the .TXT flightlog.

Then hook up your mobile device to your computer & copy it over.

After that go back to the same web page above & upload it.

Once uploaded you will be provided with a link, copy that...

...and come back here & share that in a new post.
 
Any ideas what happened?
That copy and paste from Airdata is too much to read, but very little is any use in telling what happened.
The actual data is what's needed.
Post that and the explanation will probably be found be found.

A couple of options....
1. Go to DJI Flight Log Viewer | Phantom Help
Follow the instructions there to upload your flight record from your phone or tablet.
That will give you a detailed report on the flight data.
Come back and post a link to the report it provides and someone might be able to analyse it and give you an understanding of the cause of the incident.
or
2. Just post the .txt file here
or
3. If you use Airdata, you can view the flight data on Airdata and post a link for the Airdata report

EDIT: The "Motor is Blocked" error is clearly the final issue but I can't find anything wrong with the housing, motor or blades. There was only moderate wind but could the drone have hit some flying debris?

Motor is blocked is what you commonly see when a prop is obstructed after a crash.
 
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Ok, now you have the top two analysts on this website - slup and meta4 - interested in your case, standing by and ready to tell you what actually happened - as soon as you follow the directions in multiple posts above. Thanks and good luck.
 
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I'm not posting the entire flight data log because it shows where I fly, sometimes by myself, at 2 am. Sorry.
Then it will remain a mystery forever.
btw .. no-one cares where you fly.
People post their flight data all the time when they have a flight incident and want to know what happened to make sure they can prevent a similar situation in future.
 
I'm not posting the entire flight data log because it shows where I fly, sometimes by myself, at 2 am. Sorry.
Really?
I assume all of us that has responded so far, really don't care.
They want to give you the facts of what might have happen.

We all learn from this stuff, If you have your bird, and it didn't do any harm.
Why Not?
Posted as I was typing this out.
I'm sure he is in Australia.

Rod ..
 
Really?
I assume all of us that has responded so far, really don't care.
They want to give you the facts of what might have happen.
You guys may not care where I fly but it's a public forum.

Anyway, there's no mystery. The front left motor encountered a problem. It's either something wrapped around it or a bearing issue. Either way, the logs show when the problem first occurred and that the drone tried to compensate but the problem quickly got worse leading to the motor stopping completely at 213.6 ft. From there, it was an uncontrollable near-free fall spin into the ground.

I'm waiting until the Air3's come out to see what, if anything, that does to prices before I buy a new one. Right now, it's between a Mini 3 Pro and Air2s but we'll see. I've always liked the idea of the tele on the M3, maybe I'll get one.
 
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You guys may not care where I fly but it's a public forum.

Anyway, there's no mystery. The front left motor encountered a problem. It's either something wrapped around it or a bearing issue. Either way, the logs show when the problem first occurred and that the drone tried to compensate but the problem quickly got worse leading to the motor stopping completely at 213.6 ft. From there, it was an uncontrollable near-free fall spin into the ground.

I'm waiting until the Air3's come out to see what, if anything, that does to prices before I buy a new one. Right now, it's between a Mini 3 Pro and Air2s but we'll see. I've always liked the idea of the tele on the M3, maybe I'll get one.
You could always download the phantomhelp csv, delete the latitude and longitude cell entries and any other identifying information e.g. drone name etc. but leave the columns and their titles in place. Then upload the edited csv to a file hosting site and post a link here.
Lat & long occur in at least two places. I don't think missing lat & long would affect the analysis of this incident.
 
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