Hi GUYS
My drone refused to return to home after the return to home command was issued. It was about 1km away and drifted until it sunk.
I will attach the flight logs shortly.
thanks for asking but i didn't! your sympathy is appreciated. hopefully i'll be able to build from this experience!Sorry to hear. I'm sure the smart people here will help us understand what happened.
Did you retrieve it? Damage or landed?
Hi! i uploaded the first log!Please upload your TXT flight log here and post a link back here. You'll find instructions for locating your TXT flight log at that link.
Hi James! Thanks for asking. I think i have uploaded the flight logs and i hope i have answered your questions with enough info (i forgot to answer them as a reply so they are a few messages up). I would really appreciate any thoughts or ideas. thanks againHow much battery life was left when you hit RTH? Did you not realize the drone wasn't returning home? Why didn't you cancel the RTH & fly it home?
1. There was no log that you triggered RTH. Didn't press the button long enough? The RC would start beeping when drone's RTH is in progress.
2. If there was strong wind, you need sports mode to give a bit more oomph. I would've stayed away from flying above water until I am more familiar with my drone. And I won't be flying in strong wind. There are apps out there like UAV Forecast that gives an estimate of wind speed at different altitude. If wind speed is > 35kph (GPS mode + obstacle avoidance on), then your drone will definitely get blown away, since max speed in that mode is 35kph. Which is why you need Sport mode in that situation.
1. There was no log that you triggered RTH. Didn't press the button long enough? The RC would start beeping when drone's RTH is in progress.
2. If there was strong wind, you need sports mode to give a bit more oomph. I would've stayed away from flying above water until I am more familiar with my drone. And I won't be flying in strong wind. There are apps out there like UAV Forecast that gives an estimate of wind speed at different altitude. If wind speed is > 35kph (GPS mode + obstacle avoidance on), then your drone will definitely get blown away, since max speed in that mode is 35kph. Which is why you need Sport mode in that situation.
You were at 1200 ft AGL with a 30 mph wind out of the south east blowing the aircraft away from you. It would not be able to RTH into that wind.
a) will try airdata. the air felt totally calm at ground level so I let my guard slip.I guess the summary is, you were flying against strong wind while in normal mode. I feel for your loss. I dont think DJI Care Refresh will cover/replace it, unless you can recover it. Not sure if any of your insurance company would cover it. I live in Australia, so I don't know. I've heard State Farm being mentioned in other threads.
If you upload your flight logs to AirData, it might be able to calculate the wind speed it might had been experiencing.
a) will try airdata. the air felt totally calm at ground level so I let my guard slip.
b) i) i feel that this is starting to get into aircraft piloting domain- where/which resources would you recommend to be better informed about the weather at the flight location?
ii) can someone direct me to resources that give a better understanding regarding drone tolerances and behavior under wind loads? I don't want to get too specific. I would like a little more context so I can make informed decisions.