Air 2S Crashed in the Lake. Why?

[51 Drones]

I would be interested to know your thoughts? I’m still not 100% certain what happened.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

 

[slup]

Why not start out with the mobile device .txt log ... in that way we at least can inspect all happenings before you lost the connection, who knows, maybe something there already showed signs of a upcoming disaster before you lost signal.

 

[51 Drones]

Why not start out with the mobile device .txt log ... in that way we at least can inspect all happenings before you lost the connection, who knows, maybe something there already showed signs of a upcoming disaster before you lost signal.

Please educate me on how to locate that.

 

[Deleted member 103366]

As slup has suggested the logs might be useful ( have a look at DJI Flight Log Viewer | Phantom Help)

But if I might suggest .... where you do have, or almost certainly have, clear unobstructed air above you the response to loss of sight or problems such as those you encountered should be up, not lateral flight.

I speak with hindsight, if I had done this with my Mavic 2 during a dusk flight I wouldn't have tree'd it, my knee jerk reaction to its drifting over where I didn't want it to go was back the way it came but I was too vigourous and, as I had been coming in to land, too low.

 

[jmbsmt63]

I suspect that your actual height ( above the water) was much less than 17 feet and you just went forward into a swell or wave.
There could have been some slight "panic-induced" unintentional joystick movement besides just straight forward (been there...lol)
There is also a good chance that a bird, that you'll never see at that distance and that height, hit it or, even a crazy-(Mod Removed Language)fish if you were very low??
Yes, the Ipads/Iphones suck when they get hot because they just "blackout" with no warning!
Plenty of those opportunities here in PHX, AZ!!
At least any of the Android devices I have used give a warning then dim and are still usable.

Can you even disable the bottom "vision sensors" on the Air2S? I know you can disable the other sensors but will the app let you disable the bottom on that model?

Honestly, ( IMHO) the only error was not going up until you regained situational awareness of where it was and not just go forward. Seemed too low to be sure of anything?
I had to use RTH when the Ipad screen blacked out until I saw the thing then flew it back manually once I saw it

 

[Macinfo]

You noted in the video your using an iPhone, I assume a recent model with a current version of IOS, you can collect logs perhaps a touch easier than using iTunes..

Using the "Files" app. you can locate the "DJI Fly" Folder in "On My iPhone", in the DJI Fly folder look for the FlightRecords folder and locate by date or perhaps the last file, the flight log in question and then you can select it by tap & hold to get the pop-up menu and look for the Share Menu item, from there you can select to use AirDrop if you have a Mac nearby that supports it, or you can email the file to yourself.. Though if its a really large log, perhaps email will not work. But AirDrop will work every time if you have your Mac handy.

 

[RUFFSTUFF]

Sorry to see this happen, thanks for sharing. Looking forward to happier videos on your channel.

 

[51 Drones]

You noted in the video your using an iPhone, I assume a recent model with a current version of IOS, you can collect logs perhaps a touch easier than using iTunes..

Using the "Files" app. you can locate the "DJI Fly" Folder in "On My iPhone", in the DJI Fly folder look for the FlightRecords folder and locate by date or perhaps the last file, the flight log in question and then you can select it by tap & hold to get the pop-up menu and look for the Share Menu item, from there you can select to use AirDrop if you have a Mac nearby that supports it, or you can email the file to yourself.. Though if its a really large log, perhaps email will not work. But AirDrop will work every time if you have your Mac handy.

I will attempt this later this week. Thanks. I just realized that I can’t disable VPS on the Air 2S, so even if I had remembered, it would have made no difference. I just got too (Mod Removed Language)low.

 

[sarimento1]

Russ, sympathies.
I'm a big fan of your videos and watched this latest one with dismay.
And appreciate your posting it promptly and with candor.
IMHO, I'd chalk the problem up mainly to the iPhone dimming.
I've also had the same iPhone problem, even one quite recently.
In my case, I panicked and hit RTH on the RC immediately when the screen went black.
Solution for me, never leave the iPhone and RC exposed to hot sun midday for more than a minute or two.
Just my guess, you'll find another Air2S!
After all, who knows when the MP3 will become available?!

 

[51 Drones]

You noted in the video your using an iPhone, I assume a recent model with a current version of IOS, you can collect logs perhaps a touch easier than using iTunes..

Using the "Files" app. you can locate the "DJI Fly" Folder in "On My iPhone", in the DJI Fly folder look for the FlightRecords folder and locate by date or perhaps the last file, the flight log in question and then you can select it by tap & hold to get the pop-up menu and look for the Share Menu item, from there you can select to use AirDrop if you have a Mac nearby that supports it, or you can email the file to yourself.. Though if its a really large log, perhaps email will not work. But AirDrop will work every time if you have your Mac handy.

Ok, so I did this. Now how do I read it? It’s just a indecipherable cluster of characters.

 

[RUFFSTUFF]

I will attempt this later this week. Thanks. I just realized that I can’t disable VPS on the Air 2S, so even if I had remembered, it would have made no difference. I just got too (Mod Removed Language)low.

I was just getting ready to ask where's that option...?

 

[51 Drones]

Ok, so I figured out how to read the log. It is not at all what I thought! It shows that for about 2 seconds, I was pulling back on the left stick! I was NOT doing that! I don’t even remember touching my left! Was it a panic pull? I crashed my own (Mod Removed Language)drone! ?????

 

[Macinfo]

Ok, so I did this. Now how do I read it? It’s just a indecipherable cluster of characters.

I think you can attach it to at message here, or go to the DJI Flight Log Viewer | Phantom Help page and upload it and post the link, and @slup or a couple of the other log wizards here can perhaps tell you in detail exactly what happened on your flight.

If I got this wrong, someone will correct me..

 

[slup]

...Now how do I read it? It’s just a indecipherable cluster of characters.

...It shows that for about 2 seconds, I was pulling back on the left stick! I was NOT doing that! I don’t even remember touching my left! Was it a panic pull? I crashed my own **** drone! ?????

That's pretty common, a lot of pilots posting about incidents here at the forum have a hard time to correctly remember what they did in half or full panic & can't believe that they did something totally opposite what they would have done during calmer circumstances ... have yet to see a flight log that doesn't provide the correct info though.

If you want assistance to interpret the log just attach the plain mobile device .txt log in a new post here ...

 

[old man mavic]

@51 Drones ,sorry you lost your drone ,and thanks for posting on the forum ,and for being honest about what you feel happened ,these things are not just beginner problems ,and if your post helps others to avoid such a incident ,then it will be a good thing
every flight is an adventure ,and knowledge is gained each time you fly ,
i have watched a lot of your videos on your website ,and while i may not always agree with some of your comments , i have enjoyed your presentation ,on the many subjects you have covered
hope your back in the air soon take care
yours OMM

 

[PompousWindbag]

Russ, sympathies.
I'm a big fan of your videos and watched this latest one with dismay.
And appreciate your posting it promptly and with candor.
IMHO, I'd chalk the problem up mainly to the iPhone dimming.
I've also had the same iPhone problem, even one quite recently.
In my case, I panicked and hit RTH on the RC immediately when the screen went black.
Solution for me, never leave the iPhone and RC exposed to hot sun midday for more than a minute or two.
Just my guess, you'll find another Air2S!
After all, who knows when the MP3 will become available?!

Hitting RTH when the screen goes black is probably a very good habit to get into!

 

[51 Drones]

That's pretty common, a lot of pilots posting about incidents here at the forum have a hard time to correctly remember what they did in half or full panic & can't believe that they did something totally opposite what they would have done during calmer circumstances ... have yet to see a flight log that doesn't provide the correct info though.

If you want assistance to interpret the log just attach the plain mobile device .txt log in a new post here ...

Nope. It’s pretty clear. However, the last signal was at 7.5 feet altitude, so I really do think it was off. I launched from shoreline, so altitude at launch point was even.

 

[PompousWindbag]

Russ, I too am a fan of your videos. Your appearance was fine, but the look of disappointment on your face bummed me out, as I would be, if I lost my 2S under ANY circumstances. Thank you for sharing your insights as always.

 

[maggior]

Oh man that sucks!!

It's happened to me where I'll do something wrong in a panic but whenever that has happened I've always had the drone in VLOS so I could see what was going on and knew immediately "stop doing that", or I wasn't in a tight situation and looking at the telemetry I'd realize "duh, you are going further out, not further up!" for when I might confuse the right and left sticks.

I think it can be a natural instinct to pull back to go up, like in an airplane. As low as you were flying you had no margin for error.

One thing I have learned is that this drone is quite stable and if the situation warrants it, the best thing to do is just let go of the sticks, take a deep breath, and think through what is happening and why it makes no sense.

I have the smart controller. Aside from build quality issues I've been dealing with (under warranty), I think it is fantastic. Nice bright screen, quick to get set up and in the air, and no heating issues with plenty of battery power to fly 3 batteries in my MA2. I don't think my SC has ever gone below 60%.

There's a bit of lag in the video feed at times, but personally I think it's a small price to pay. I'll take that over my screen going dim due to heat and not being able to see anything.

 

[Macinfo]

Nope. It’s pretty clear. However, the last signal was at 7.5 feet altitude, so I really do think it was off. I launched from shoreline, so altitude at launch point was even.

Glad that the iPhone log retrieve worked for you..

Not sure if your going post your log here, the extra analysis could prove interesting, but its your call..

You have a great channel, hopefully you'll get your MA2S replaced if you had it covered in some fashion.