Bird Strike?

Parkerjh · Apr 19, 2022

I had a bird strike in this area earlier in day with my Air2s.

I returned for a different job but same area. I was flying my Mavic 2 Pro because was not 100% that Air2S was in perfect shape.

Well above any obstacles and then just instant disconnect.
Never returned home and I scoured last known spot and didn't see it anywhere.

Any ideas?
DAT file included also

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Yorkshire_Pud · Apr 19, 2022

Can't help with the log analysis but the DAT file is WAY WAY too small, mine appear to be about 5 times the size of the .txt flight log

Parkerjh · Apr 19, 2022

Yorkshire_Pud said:
Can't help with the log analysis but the DAT file is WAY WAY too small, mine appear to be about 5 times the size of the .txt flight log

thanks, I just included the last one but here are the other two most recent

slup · Apr 19, 2022

Parkerjh said:
...Any ideas?

Yep ... & a bird strike isn't on the list.

A mobile device .TXT log runs between motors on to off ... as long as your RC is connected to the AC. So a log that ends mid air either is a RC-AC disconnect (or the mobile device gets disconnected from the RC) or that the motors stop.

Neither of these reasons usually happen suddenly ... if the connection starts to get bad it's usually a lot of shorter signal interruptions before the complete disconnect. And as your fail safe action was set to RTH & you were up on nearly 136m height (RTH height 30m but the AC will not descend if above that) ... your AC would have returned back to that parking lot where the HP was recorded (& you stood). So nah ... this weren't a disconnect.

The motors then ... a bird strike? Nothing in the telemetry indicate any abnormal AC movement there in the end, all movements originate from your stick commands. If a object hits either of the 4 propellers the motors will not immediately stop ... large AC movements will be seen in the telemetry & as the motors most probably will continue to rotate even though a bird damage a prop the log will keep on recording the quick spiraling descent.

This log just ends ... with all telemetry perfectly normal. A sudden power loss will show logs like this ... the battery you used were manufactured late 2019, rather old. You commanded a lot of max elevator, aileron & throttle which would have heated up the battery (more than usual as the log indicates that you either used a propeller guard or some extra payload), all this most probably made it swell & the battery eventually pushed itself out from the AC ... & there you had the sudden power loss. Unfortunately this isn't the first time we see this coming from a M2P.

Here below the telemetry with AC attitudes & stick commands ... chart marker placed just in the end of the chart where the log ends, the legend below explains the graphs (dashed=sticks) & values there from the end of the log.

(Click on the chart to make it larger)

Yorkshire_Pud · Apr 19, 2022

With regards to the .DAT's, sorry they are again far too small.
If you sync your logs the DAT file may have been deleted during the sync.

If you use an RC1A contrioller (check the back of the drone) then have a look in the folder where you found the .txt flight logs for the folder MCDatFlightRecords, in MCDatFlightRecords there may be a file with a name that resembles 2022-04-19_14-5x-yz_FLY012.DAT. If so that's the DAT that you want. I doubt it will show anything that contradicts Slup's post.
If you use an RC1B controller then no DAT flightlog is recorded on the phone.

If you can't see it on the ground or in the trees under the end of the log I would, if safe and if possible, I look in the edge of the river.

Meta4 · Apr 19, 2022

Parkerjh said:
Any ideas?

The flight data ends with the drone in stable, level flight at 20 mph, 400 feet up.
Your drone suffered a sudden loss of power, but no birds were involved.

Parkerjh · Apr 19, 2022

thanks everyone, appreciate it.

I just assumed bird strike because a hawk hit my Air2S earlier in day at same spot. Thankfully, I landed it OK but the gimbal is now acting erratically so going back to DJI for replacement.

I had literally framed up the last shot I needed and just instant disconnection.

Looked a while along the edge of the river and in the trees but not worth spending additional time, will have to reshoot the jobs I shot earlier in day tomorrow. It was well out of warranty.

Big Bro · Apr 19, 2022

Parkerjh said:
thanks everyone, appreciate it.

I just assumed bird strike because a hawk hit my Air2S earlier in day at same spot.

You had a bird strike at this spot, you know it's a hawk's territory and you're going back to fly there again tomorrow. I hope the jobs worth it, as it's this kind of action that's going to shut us all down!

Parkerjh · Apr 19, 2022

Big Bro said:
You had a bird strike at this spot, you know it's a hawk's territory and you're going back to fly there again tomorrow. I hope the jobs worth it, as it's this kind of action that's going to shut us all down!

I'm in MA and there are hawks literally wherever I fly. I see them literally every day. If I chose not to fly in "hawk's territory", I would never fly again. Give me a freaking break with "shutting us all down". Good Lord the hyperbole that is found constantly on this board.

Big Bro · Apr 19, 2022

Parkerjh said:
I'm in MA and there are hawks literally wherever I fly. I see them literally every day. If I chose not to fly in "hawk's territory", I would never fly again.

How about just give them a break during nesting season! It's bad enough we're destroying their nesting grounds at an alarming rate, you choose to terrorize them while their nesting! All I can say is good luck, It will come back to bite us in the back side. There's already hoop la about wind turbines killing birds, you don't think they will come after drones? There are 2.9 billion less birds today than in 1970, that's 1/3 less. You may not care, but some people do and drones take enough grief as it is. there's was already an issue lately about someone harassing a hawk at a university with a drone. It's just not what we need!

Parkerjh · Apr 19, 2022

Big Bro said:
How about just give them a break during nesting season! It's bad enough we're destroying their nesting grounds at an alarming rate, you choose to terrorize them while their nesting! All I can say is good luck, It will come back to bite us in the back side. There's already hoop la about wind turbines killing birds, you don't think they will come after drones? There are 2.9 billion less birds today than in 1970, that's 1/3 less. You may not care, but some people do and drones take enough grief as it is. there's was already an issue lately about someone harassing a hawk at a university with a drone. It's just not what we need!

Please. They birds were not terrorized while nesting. I was in a concrete jungle of asphalt and was at 350' above a parking lot.

March411 · Apr 19, 2022

Parkerjh said:
thanks everyone, appreciate it.

Looked a while along the edge of the river and in the trees but not worth spending additional time, will have to reshoot the jobs I shot earlier in day tomorrow. It was well out of warranty.

Big Bro said:
How about just give them a break during nesting season! It's bad enough we're destroying their nesting grounds at an alarming rate, you choose to terrorize them while their nesting! All I can say is good luck, It will come back to bite us in the back side. There's already hoop la about wind turbines killing birds, you don't think they will come after drones? There are 2.9 billion less birds today than in 1970, that's 1/3 less. You may not care, but some people do and drones take enough grief as it is. there's was already an issue lately about someone harassing a hawk at a university with a drone. It's just not what we need!

I think the key phrase Parkerjh used was he would have to re-shoot the job. Not sure that he should stop supporting himself or his family if he has one and not fulfill the commitment he made to his client.

It's also worth mentioning that he stated the areas that he flies in have a significant amount of Hawks, is the suggestion that he gives up flying.

I said it directly to a moderator and I'll say it here, the only reason I do not become a premium member is because of the excessive amount of badging that goes on when someone is just looking for some help. It also limits peoples participation because they simply don't want to put up with the BS.

Big Bro · Apr 19, 2022

Okay, sorry if I come off as badgering, not my intent. We all fly in the vicinity of birds, I'll just leave it at this, if I'm flying and my drone gets knocked out of the sky by a bird of prey during nesting season, my common sense is going to tell me not to put another drone up in that vicinity.