AIR 3S suddenly begins to ascend during flight

[DroneZone Thailand]

During a video flight on the coast, my new Air 3S suddenly ascended independently without me having operated the control stick. When flying low over the water, it first began to climb slowly and then after a few seconds made a real jerk upwards. This happened twice in a row completely from their own doing!

It gives me a bit of a headache because a previous Air 2 fell into the sea due to a malfunction.

Should I say goodbye to my new bird? Or contact DJI support... as a precaution?

Here is the flight log:

The ascent and the two jumps upwards can be followed from timestamp 6m 28s to 6m 50s. In the HD player you can also see that the pilot did not give any Joistick commands to ascend...

What is your opinion?

 

[mavic3usa]

Don't fly over water.

 

[davidarmenb]

Water has a higher reflectivity than the DJI sensors can operate in. The likeliest scenario is that drone thought it was way too close to the ground because of the mismeasurement of the bottom sensors.

 

[DroneZone Thailand]

Sorry, i live on a island... 70% of my flights are over water

The likeliest scenario is that drone thought it was way too close to the ground because of the mismeasurement of the bottom sensors.

Yes... that was definitely an issue with older models. But does the drone's AI correct it twice in a row? (The second time it was higher and definitely outside the sensor range)

 

[WShade]

Sport Mode will probably solve your issue. However, a new and more costly issue may arise.

 

[Meta4]

Don't fly over water.

That's irrelevant nonsense.

Water has a higher reflectivity than the DJI sensors can operate in. The likeliest scenario is that drone thought it was way too close to the ground because of the mismeasurement of the bottom sensors.

You didn't look at the flight data.
The drone rose from 7 ft to 95 ft.
That doesn't happen simply because he was flying over water.

Sport Mode will probably solve your issue.

Sport Mode wouldn't have any effect.
Presumable you imagine the issue was due to the VPS sensors (it didn't).
Obstacle avoidance sensors aren't active in Sport Mode, but VPS sensors are.

However, a new and more costly issue may arise.

What new and more costly issue???

 

[Meta4]

Yes... that was definitely an issue with older models. But does the drone's AI correct it twice in a row? (The second time it was higher and definitely outside the sensor range)

Flying close to water has never caused drones to climb.

Your flight data doesn't show any obvious issue and confirms the drone rising from 7ft to 95 ft without any corresponding throttle input.

Obstacle Avoidance is the most likely explanation for what you observed.
You were flying in a westerly direction, late in the afternoon.
OA sometimes takes action to avoid a low, bright sun.

If you encounter this again, check whether you are flying towards a low, bright sun.
If you are, you can confirm that OA is the cause by changing direction.

Or if you are flying where there are no obstacles (like over water), just disable OA in your app settings.

 

[DroneZone Thailand]

Obstacle Avoidance is the most likely explanation for what you observed.
You were flying in a westerly direction, late in the afternoon.
OA sometimes takes action to avoid a low, bright sun.

It's strange... when I look at the footage, I really can't find any reason for the drone's behavior... (ruined the best shot)

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[mavic3usa]

Don't fly over water.

There's a after the statement for a reason.

 

[Meta4]

There's a after the statement for a reason.

It's still irrellevant.
Flying over water had nothing to do with the incident.

 

[hansenn]

obstacle avoidance would be visible on the screen by the orange/red ring.
I once flew in heavy fog and I constantly experienced that obstacle warning.

 

[MS Coast]

It's strange... when I look at the footage, I really can't find any reason for the drone's behavior... (ruined the best shot)

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While I have no explanation for the increase in altitude, I'd say that the climb improved the video substantially the shot. It added interest. Otherwise, it would have been just a long "more of the same" situation.

 

[Capt KO]

It did climb high enough to get over the boat, just a bit premature.

 

[DroneZone Thailand]

While I have no explanation for the increase in altitude, I'd say that the climb improved the video substantially the shot. It added interest. Otherwise, it would have been just a long "more of the same" situation.

No, that wasn't the idea behind this sequence. The low-level flight was supposed to last much longer and be continued with the telephoto camera. With speed ramps and time acceleration in the post, the very long shot would shrink to about 10-20 seconds... What a pity... But there will be such opportunities again and I hope the Air 3s won’t act up again

 

[Meta4]

I hope the Air 3s won’t act up again

If you don't want OA to do its thing, just turn it off.

 

[MS Coast]

No, that wasn't the idea behind this sequence. The low-level flight was supposed to last much longer and be continued with the telephoto camera. With speed ramps and time acceleration in the post, the very long shot would shrink to about 10-20 seconds... What a pity... But there will be such opportunities again and I hope the Air 3s won’t act up again

I've noticed that drone clips in television programs and movies seldom last longer than five seconds, even when there are active subjects in the shot.

 

[DroneZone Thailand]

I've noticed that drone clips in television programs and movies seldom last longer than five seconds, even when there are active subjects in the shot.

Yes, these are cutscenes to break up the stories or to make a transition to the next sequence.
In my videos there are also longer shots, which have a more relaxing effect...

 

[WanderLost]

During a video flight on the coast, my new Air 3S suddenly ascended independently without me having operated the control stick. When flying low over the water, it first began to climb slowly and then after a few seconds made a real jerk upwards. This happened twice in a row completely from their own doing!

It gives me a bit of a headache because a previous Air 2 fell into the sea due to a malfunction.

Should I say goodbye to my new bird? Or contact DJI support... as a precaution?

Here is the flight log:

The ascent and the two jumps upwards can be followed from timestamp 6m 28s to 6m 50s. In the HD player you can also see that the pilot did not give any Joistick commands to ascend...

What is your opinion?

My older Mavic 3 did similar things when flying over fields. The most interesting situation was when I was flying about 10 feet over a field of yellow blooming canola. As I slowly accelerated over the field, the drone started to rise on it's own - up to 80 feet by the time I reached the other side of the 100 acre field.
I attributed this to the lack of contrasty detail that the downward sensors would have used to determine the actual height above the field at higher speeds. If I flew at 10 mph or slower, it was fine, but if I flew 20-30 mph, the drone would rise.

 

[Meta4]

As I slowly accelerated over the field, the drone started to rise on it's own - up to 80 feet by the time I reached the other side of the 100 acre field.
I attributed this to the lack of contrasty detail that the downward sensors would have used to determine the actual height above the field at higher speeds. If I flew at 10 mph or slower, it was fine, but if I flew 20-30 mph, the drone would rise.

That explanation sounds unlikely.
It would have been easy to test at the time by seeing if the same issue was repeated when flying at the same height in a different direction across the field.

Or the flight data from that day would show exactly the height above whatever was below the drone as sensed by the VPS sensors.

 

[DroneZone Thailand]

If I flew at 10 mph or slower, it was fine, but if I flew 20-30 mph, the drone would rise.

I experienced the same thing during this low flight. However, I wonder whether this "effect" could be corrected in the control software.

That explanation sounds unlikely.
It would have been easy to test at the time by seeing if the same issue was repeated when flying at the same height in a different direction across the field.

Across a field or over water... it seems to be the same reaction. I'll test it out with different altitudes and different speeds

But it is definitely not useful. In my opinion, the development team at DJI should take a closer look at the matter