Crashed in ocean Waikiki - recovered after 30 minutes..

[Skrems]

I guess it was bound to happen but I was tracking a surfer about 500-600 yards offshore and it took a swim. 7 months of flying Mavic and 6 months of drone flying before this so you’d think I would know the controls by now....operator error.

Anyway, ran back to hotel grabbed snorkel gear and went swimming - found it! Upside down in a sandy patch. Back to hotel and Lots of cleaning with distilled water and blow drying. Hours later it does the start up and gimbal checks ok but the controller can not connect. I tried remind the controller but nothing. Looks like a dji refresh but I hope they cover operator error as they advertise...

 

[pixl]

Once it hits salt water it's game over, no matter how dry you get it. The salt water causes corrosive short circuiting on the board.

 

[Skrems]

Once it hits salt water it's game over, no matter how dry you get it. The salt water causes corrosive short circuiting on the board.

It's crazy how it's going through the boot sequence though...no error beeps etc. I'm the thinking the radio is fried as you say.

 

[rfc]

I guess it was bound to happen but I was tracking a surfer about 500-600 yards offshore and it took a swim. 7 months of flying Mavic and 6 months of drone flying before this so you’d think I would know the controls by now....operator error.

Anyway, ran back to hotel grabbed snorkel gear and went swimming - found it! Upside down in a sandy patch. Back to hotel and Lots of cleaning with distilled water and blow drying. Hours later it does the start up and gimbal checks ok but the controller can not connect. I tried remind the controller but nothing. Looks like a dji refresh but I hope they cover operator error as they advertise...

Just out of curiosity...what was the "operator error"? Were you below the wave tops and got tagged by one? You push left stick Down rather than Up?
Hard to imagine a controls error over water.

 

[sir_ian]

yes, im also very curious about the error you made. it will be a good learning tool for us all.
sorry it had to happen to you.

 

[Skrems]

Operator error - I will post a link to cached video tonight. Basically I was in front of a couple of surfers and pulling back to stay in front. I started to lower the drone and went too low as a wave hit it. I should not have gone that low.

 

[Skrems]

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[pixl]

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ouch

 

[CornerGuy]

Hurts just watching this.

 

[Skrems]

Hurts just watching this.

Yup....

 

[Divine_Madcat]

I think that counts as a controlled flight into terrain. ;-)

 

[Ebonicus]

For all to learn...thanks.

When over water, and downward sensors are off, the drone can descend quickly straight into water, or land for that matter, as downward object avoidance is usually off over water, for me.

I was over land and manually slammed it down once when I forgot I had down sensors off.

 

[black_magic100]

For all to learn...thanks.

When over water, and downward sensors are off, the drone can descend quickly straight into water, or land for that matter, as downward object avoidance is usually off over water, for me.

I was over land and manually slammed it down once when I forgot I had down sensors off.

Isn't it better to just leave downward sensors on when flying over water?

 

[chrismatthewssr]

So sorry for your loss, that sucks forsure

 

[kenwae]

Similar thing happened to me; was flying low over ocean water, capturing images of the coral bottom, hovered about 10' ft. over the water and then decided to come home, but pushed the stick down instead of up. Noticed the camera went blank, and then I realized what I had done. Apparently, though, once it hit the water, it lost connection, and that triggered return to home. So, as I was bemoaning my stupid mistake lamenting that my drone was underwater, my friend with me noticed it was coming in for landing above us. He noted there was smoke coming out of it. I took it home, rinsed it, put in in a bucket of rice for a couple of days, but no go. The salt water is a killer. I bought a another one, without controller or battery and I'm back in the air. Lesson learned....

 

[stressor]

Apparently, though, once it hit the water, it lost connection, and that triggered return to home. .

wow so it touched down in water and then took off itself and returned home. thats amazing in itself!

 

[fiberdude]

“I took it home, rinsed it, put in in a bucket of rice for a couple of days”

That's the wrong move, @kenwae -- instead, you should have kept the drone flying for as long as the batteries allowed, and if insufficient batteries to bring it in the air, at least kept the drone powered on so that heat generated can help dry it up.

 

[fiberdude]

Once it hits salt water it's game over, no matter how dry you get it. The salt water causes corrosive short circuiting on the board.

Well, corrosion needs moisture to take place.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

Not sure about other places (this is the case in Australia), but if a motor vehicle is written off by and insurance company when water goes over the tops of the sill panels, then a machine like the Mavic is not going to be something I'd trust after a bath in fresh or salt water.
Cars are written off because any wiring and electronic components that have been immersed can lead to long term problems, so the Mavics fine circuitry is really not going to be something to expect to be normal again, at least mid to long term.

 

[fiberdude]

Not sure about other places (this is the case in Australia), but if a motor vehicle is written off by and insurance company when water goes over the tops of the sill panels, then a machine like the Mavic is not going to be something I'd trust after a bath in fresh or salt water.
Cars are written off because any wiring and electronic components that have been immersed can lead to long term problems, so the Mavics fine circuitry is really not going to be something to expect to be normal again, at least mid to long term.

On multiple occasions, I had flown Mavic Pro in rain for 10-20 mins a time. Afterward the drone is kept powered on until battery dies. Never had an issue afterward.