DJI Mavic, Air and Mini Drones
Friendly, Helpful & Knowledgeable Community
Join Us Now

Drone does not come home after return to home command issued.

Parkeri

Member
Joined
Dec 12, 2017
Messages
10
Reactions
4
Age
34
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.
 
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 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.

How 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?
 
Well, thanks for all the pertinent information! Are you asking for help based on so little input from you, or are you just making a vague comment?
 
I usually take these questions with a grain of salt. Sometimes, it's deliberately vague, cos they don't want to admit pilot error. So they blame RTH has failed. Seems like the default statement when something went wrong. New owner, new member here, first post, probably didn't RTM, no pre-checks before take-off, etc.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Kilrah
hi guys,

was meant to be a follow up post but internet died at the time of writing and didn't have a chance to follow up. so!

1) did not retrieve it. I couldn't get anyone with a boat willing to try to look for it at low tide! ( i did have the final gps coordinates but who knows if it is was still there) :(
2) a) How much battery life was left when you hit RTH?
-there was a reasonable amount (60%)
b) Did you not realize the drone wasn't returning home?
-it took me about a minute to realize it wasn't coming home
c) Why didn't you cancel the RTH & fly it home?
i tried that with limited success and was panicking as well so i don't think my decision making was the strongest
 
3) a) it's deliberately vague,
this was not deliberately vague, i was travelling and thought I would post while waiting for a bus but didn't have time to complete post
b) cos they don't want to admit pilot error.
i'm imagining it was my (the pilot) partial or complete error
c) So they blame RTH has failed. Seems like the default statement when something went wrong.
RTH is an intuitive concept and feels a bit like a safety blanket to novice drone flyers like myself.
d) New owner, new member here, first post, probably didn't RTM, no pre-checks before take-off, etc.
1) yes
2) yes
3) yes
4) read the manual but have a ways to go to fully understanding and implementing my knowledge
5) no


my hypothesis - flying at an altitude with high winds resulted in my drown being flown out of range.
i tried to drop the altitude of the drone to return it lower to the ground (seemed perfectly calm and windless at ground level).
defaulted to "rth" with no success either.
 
ps. when i got the "strong interference signal" i tried to move away from the power lines (i have no idea but i guessed these might interfere?) and across the wharf about 40m closer to the drone.

any advice tips and thoughts would be appreciated!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Prado man
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.
 
  • Like
Reactions: menega
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! i uploaded the first log!
I can upload the second one too **i was just me restarting the program in case that had anything to do with the problem and then watching it slowly lower into the water
 
How 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?
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 again :)
 
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.

I did trigger rth. it beeped for a good while. on the dji app, when watching the replay of the flight, i just see the drone facing me moving forward at less than a m/s. i desperately tried to drop the altitude but it didn't seem to do much ( i will check in the "replay" to make sure I gave this a good shot and not just a couple panicky twitches of the joystick - maybe you guys can see the joysticks motions as well??)
 
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.
 
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.
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.
 
I bough5 my mavic this week , my previous drone was a horizon blade 350qx3. A toy compared to this one I think , I had mine fly off with a GoPro hero 4 black on it 1400 down the drain , it was pilot error though . I was devastated but bit the bullet and went again I’m a lot more careful now ☹️ It sucks mate I know how you feel
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bare
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.

I assumed that you had already looked at the AirData analysis. If not, here is the AirData wind map for your flight showing the winds aloft at calculated from the pitch/roll/yaw/velocity data in the flight log. Th cause of the flight behavior is quite obvious.

Airdata UAV - Flight Data Analysis for Drones
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ex Coelis
Lycus Tech Mavic Air 3 Case

DJI Drone Deals

New Threads

Forum statistics

Threads
130,587
Messages
1,554,120
Members
159,591
Latest member
Albrecht0803