Here's the eight seconds of video before the crash and why it happened.
Mavic Crash.mp4
1. Overconfidence. I'd been flying drones for a whole week and felt very comfortable.
2. Bulletproof. I wasn't in the drone so I knew I wasn't going to get hurt if it crashed.
3. DJI Refresh. I was on my first of three lives!
4. Rushing. In a rush to the chase the egret so that I could follow him into the sunset over the bay. Look closely in the video and you can see him standing in the water.
5. Too dark for the sensors. While I don't rely on the optical sensors to keep me out of trouble, I will definitely be more careful from now on when operating in low light.
My Mavic 2 Pro, callsign "Paco," name given to him by my oldest daughter, lost video as he crashed into the trees over the water. Not just water, it was salt water. My first thought was, "I've got to get to him before he sinks or I'm never going to find him." So I sprinted down to the water with my 5 year old close behind, jumped into a kayak, and like an Olympic rower, rocketed across the cove. What did I expect to see? Maybe ripples from the crash, though several minutes had gone by. Maybe bubbles as if a boat had sunk? There was nothing but stillness as the woods grew darker and darker. And then there he was, one limp arm desperately hanging onto a branch just above the water with most of his body submerged.
I dunked him in the pool to rinse him off as I ran back to the house. In hindsight it was too late. He was dead almost as soon as the salt water fried his circuits. The battery wouldn't turn on of course. And the next morning you could see dried salt on the inside of the camera and corrosion around the battery terminals.
That was the end of Paco.
On Wednesday morning, September 5th, I shipped him off to CA for a DJI Refresh. UPS shipping was free but he didn't arrive until the following Thursday, eight days later. That was September 13th. FedEx is scheduled to deliver the new one on Monday the 17th. So, 13 days after the crash I will have Paco back, or someone just like him.
Two lives left!
Mavic Crash.mp4
1. Overconfidence. I'd been flying drones for a whole week and felt very comfortable.
2. Bulletproof. I wasn't in the drone so I knew I wasn't going to get hurt if it crashed.
3. DJI Refresh. I was on my first of three lives!
4. Rushing. In a rush to the chase the egret so that I could follow him into the sunset over the bay. Look closely in the video and you can see him standing in the water.
5. Too dark for the sensors. While I don't rely on the optical sensors to keep me out of trouble, I will definitely be more careful from now on when operating in low light.
My Mavic 2 Pro, callsign "Paco," name given to him by my oldest daughter, lost video as he crashed into the trees over the water. Not just water, it was salt water. My first thought was, "I've got to get to him before he sinks or I'm never going to find him." So I sprinted down to the water with my 5 year old close behind, jumped into a kayak, and like an Olympic rower, rocketed across the cove. What did I expect to see? Maybe ripples from the crash, though several minutes had gone by. Maybe bubbles as if a boat had sunk? There was nothing but stillness as the woods grew darker and darker. And then there he was, one limp arm desperately hanging onto a branch just above the water with most of his body submerged.
I dunked him in the pool to rinse him off as I ran back to the house. In hindsight it was too late. He was dead almost as soon as the salt water fried his circuits. The battery wouldn't turn on of course. And the next morning you could see dried salt on the inside of the camera and corrosion around the battery terminals.
That was the end of Paco.
On Wednesday morning, September 5th, I shipped him off to CA for a DJI Refresh. UPS shipping was free but he didn't arrive until the following Thursday, eight days later. That was September 13th. FedEx is scheduled to deliver the new one on Monday the 17th. So, 13 days after the crash I will have Paco back, or someone just like him.
Two lives left!
