Death of a Mavic 2 Pro

[Lee Peachey Productions]

While making a video of a very tall waterfall with my M2P in tripod mode yesterday, I ran into a very strong updraft just above the top of the falls. Immediately the drone was slammed into a rock bluff and fell to it's death 85 feet below in a large/deep/turbulent pool of water never to be seen again.Tripod mode would not let the props spin up enough to pull itself out of the updraft created by the large waterfall!
Lesson learned: Do not fly in tripod mode in adverse wind conditions.

 

[Thomas B]

Sorry you lost your drone. Thanks for sharing ... may help others.
FYI, I believe if you hit RTH the M2P would have exited tripod and gone into P mode giving you a better chance of getting it back.

 

[FoxhallGH]

Sorry you lost your drone. Thanks for sharing ... may help others.
FYI, I believe if you hit RTH the M2P would have exited tripod and gone into P mode giving you a better chance of getting it back.

Good hint, but in this case, the couple of seconds that you need to hold the RTH button for, sounds like it would have been a couple of seconds too late ...

 

[FoxhallGH]

While making a video of a very tall waterfall with my M2P in tripod mode yesterday, I ran into a very strong updraft just above the top of the falls. Immediately the drone was slammed into a rock bluff and fell to it's death 85 feet below in a large/deep/turbulent pool of water never to be seen again.Tripod mode would not let the props spin up enough to pull itself out of the updraft created by the large waterfall!
Lesson learned: Do not fly in tripod mode in adverse wind conditions.

Sorry to hear about your loss - and thanks for the Post as that will probably save another Mavic!

 

[Lee Peachey Productions]

Sorry you lost your drone. Thanks for sharing ... may help others.
FYI, I believe if you hit RTH the M2P would have exited tripod and gone into P mode giving you a better chance of getting it back.

Unfortunately, I was flying in a deep canyon with very little satellite connectivity. RTH was not going to happen. I was flying by the seat of my pants in pretty dangerous location with only VLOS. I did witness the crash in full view with no way to pull out of the situation.

 

[Thomas B]

Unfortunately, I was flying in a deep canyon with very little satellite connectivity. RTH was not going to happen. I was flying by the seat of my pants in pretty dangerous location with only VLOS. I did witness the crash in full view with no way to pull out of the situation.

Understand the concern and info you give. I fly deep canyons in AZ often. My suggestion was one aimed at getting more useful power to the drone which might have helped. When I get in a similar situation climbing and a full power mode helps. I have had similar experiences, but w/o crash. Practice and knowledge of the drone’s capabilities and controls is the key.
Anyway.... wishing you better experiences in future!

 

[Skywatcher2001]

Thank you Lee Peachey Productions for the info and follow up. Out of your tragedy will come life saving strategy that will save someone's bird. We ALL do appreciate you and suffer your loss.

 

[Capt KO]

All of us here get to learn from others mistakes. Hopefully you have just saved someone else from a loss. Thanks for your honest portrayal of the accident. ?

 

[TJ Walkup]

While making a video of a very tall waterfall with my M2P in tripod mode yesterday, I ran into a very strong updraft just above the top of the falls. Immediately the drone was slammed into a rock bluff and fell to it's death 85 feet below in a large/deep/turbulent pool of water never to be seen again.Tripod mode would not let the props spin up enough to pull itself out of the updraft created by the large waterfall!
Lesson learned: Do not fly in tripod mode in adverse wind conditions.

bummer

 

[Lee Peachey Productions]

bummer

I will soon post a followup video on my Youtube channel, (lee Peachey Productions) that will show the challenge I was facing the day I crashed my Mavic 2 Pro. My flying partner did capture some footage of the scene before my crash. Look for the video on my YouTube channel soon.

 

[ChrisOutdoors]

Sport mode switch on the RC would have probably saved it, but that's easy to say after it happens. Good to know about the lack of power in tripod mode, didn't know that. Thanks for sharing and sorry about your UAS!

 

[GadgetGuy]

I often video an osprey nest, and while tripod mode might make precision flying near the nest easier, in the case of an attack, the M2 would then be unable to fly up fast enough to avoid the attack, and would be as easy target. Use only with static subjects away from high winds and without rocks nearby!

 

[Lee Peachey Productions]

Visit my YouTube Channel: Lee Peachey Productions to see video footage of the crash site. The video resides in an sub folder called: Lee Peachey.

 

[Lee Peachey Productions]

I often video an osprey nest, and while tripod mode might make precision flying near the nest easier, in the case of an attack, the M2 would then be unable to fly up fast enough to avoid the attack, and would be as easy target. Use only with static subjects away from high winds and without rocks nearby!

I will keep that thought in the back of my mind in further flights into sketchy areas. Flying without GPS help is always a challenge! (but,sometimes that is where the best shots are).

 

[GadgetGuy]

I will keep that thought in the back of my mind in further flights into sketchy areas. Flying without GPS help is always a challenge! (but,sometimes that is where the best shots are).

Lack of GPS, in and of itself, won't restrict ability to quickly fly away from hazards, but it will make control significantly more difficult if you have hobbled the stick controls with tripod mode.

 

[Lee Peachey Productions]

Lack of GPS, in and of itself, won't restrict ability to quickly fly away from hazards, but it will make control significantly more difficult if you have hobbled the stick controls with tripod mode.

Yes, Tripod Mode was not a good place to be when I flew over the brink of the falls. I was focused on panning the gimbal down at that critical second when the wind blast hit my M2P coming out of the shoot. (Turbulent Wind). GPS might have kept me somewhat stabilized for few seconds to stabilize the craft for an (Abort Mission) command.......No GPS signal just to make things worse.

 

[GadgetGuy]

Yes, Tripod Mode was not a good place to be when I flew over the brink of the falls. I was focused on panning the gimbal down at that critical second when the wind blast hit my M2P coming out of the shoot. (Turbulent Wind). GPS might have kept me somewhat stabilized for few seconds to stabilize the craft for an (Abort Mission) command.......No GPS signal just to make things worse.

Somebody has to be the guinea pig for the rest of us! Thanks for sharing your experience, so we can all learn vicariously from it!

 

[dioscuriII]

A helicopter pilot once told me about the vortex ring state. It is interesting. I also encountered issues near a waterfall. More power is not the answer. Moving in any direction seems to be the solution.

Vortex ring state - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Lee Peachey Productions]

A helicopter pilot once told me about the vortex ring state. It is interesting. I also encountered issues near a waterfall. More power is not the answer. Moving in any direction seems to be the solution.

Vortex ring state - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Very interesting read from wikipedia. I am not sure that was what happened, (could be). There was definitely turbulent air all around me. In tripod mode, my Mavic 2 Pro could not recover in time to avoid the rock wall as the wind moved me sideways in less than a couple of seconds. Side sensors did not respond in time. I was in tripod mode to slow down any side movement as I came out of the chute. Did not happen!

 

[Lee Peachey Productions]

Somebody has to be the guinea pig for the rest of us! Thanks for sharing your experience, so we can all learn vicariously from it!

Being a Guinea Pig is a pretty spendy situation, but I am going to get back up and ride (a new horse) again. Keep an eye on my YouTube channels for some better footage.